Preamble

The importance of this second point of view of Mystics. — The three causes in question: God, demon, man.

Our purpose in this work on Mystics was to present a logical exhibition, enlightened by theology and confirmed by history, of all forms of this supernatural order, and, after enumeration of these multiple phenomena, to recognize the causes from which they proceed. In the two volumes we gave to the public, we told the facts: first the preludes, the seizing, the various degrees of contemplative prayer, and then the other intellectual, affective, sensitive manifestations through which mystical life is exercised and radiates. The first part of our task is thus accomplished; we approach the second.

We will not dwell on demonstrating the importance of this. It would be better to completely ignore all this wonderful, if we were powerless to see what hand

1 See nTRopucTION in our first volume. ll 1

2 produce it, if we could not discern in these wonders what comes from God from what is satanic or natural.

Such uncertainty would be a real anguish; for in

It is a question of whether man can become the toy of an enemy power that only illuminates him to mislead him, only drunken to corrupt him, seems to spread the sources of life to his soul only to better give him death. If so, we should defend ourselves from all mystical influence and fight in his soul against the most delicious embraces, like sleeping man whose mind does not sleep completely and who makes an effort to break a false and unhealthy vision.

Assuming that the phenomena go beyond the sphere of man, the causes capable of producing them are reduced to two: one beneficial, tending to the true and to the good; the other perfidious, pushing to error and to evil: that is, God and the demon. Since good angels are never but God's most faithful agents, their action is not a distinct causality.

But the facts that first appear supernatural, can only be extraordinary productions of nature. In man above all, because of the complication of the two elements of his being, the soul and the body, these eccentricities meet more numerous and stranger.

The mystical manifestations, true, simulated or apparent, are therefore linked to one of these three causes: God, demon, man. In order to determine their provenance, the characters and limits of these three worlds must be determined first: the divine, the evil and the human.

By bringing these different points of view together to grasp their relationships and differences, we will seem to repeat ourselves; but we will only have to look at the title of this

AAA a i N 1 g J 'i ati ea TTA CA ana aa ST N x NISD k i i iak \ Le f, T

book to see that these repetitions are only "appearable and that they enter, as such, into the very conception of our work. Gerson compares mystical wonders to currency, a very accurate comparison that enlightens and justifies our march. First there is the right and true currency, the simple currency; then the counterfeit and the smuggled currency; finally, objects that come close to the currency by form, effigy, matter, as are the medals, the stamps: one must distinguish from these counterfeits and analogies the currency of good law.

It is on this level that we have designed and organized our treatise on mystical currency.

First of all, we brought before the eyes the various types, the different pieces of the real currency, always divine. It was the subject of our first two vo-jumes.

In this one, in order to distinguish the authentic currency from what simulates it without merit, we discuss the question of origin and causality.

God is the author of the true spiritual currency: we assign the intrinsic and extrinsic characters of the divine work and its various processes of realization: it is the object of a first section.

The counterfeiter is the demon: we are looking for which brands recognize themselves as its counterfeits, and the means involved in this fabrication of lies: this is a second section, included in this volume.

In a third, which will be the material of volume four, we will list the singularities of nature that seem to reproduce the divine imprint, and we will put it to make a difference.

This plan requires, at least in appearance, some repetitions. After exposing the multiple forms of mystic currency, when it comes to specifying the signs

God's mark on it, and in what way, if it is allowed to speak like this, it sinks it, it is obviously necessary to put the various pieces in front of the eyes: first repetition.

Counterfeitings make sense as much as they are opposed to the types they imitate: new repetition.

Analogues can only be understood by comparing things that offer resemblance relationships: another repetition.

We can call these successive rapprochements of the same term to terms that we want to distinguish from; for us, it is enough to achieve the goal, which is to detach the differences, and thus to realize the meaningful title of our work: The DIVINE MYS-TIQUE, DISTINGED FROM DIABOLIC CONTRACTIONS AND HUMAN ANALOGIES.

God Causes Mystical Phenomena

Chapter I

The Supernatural

In principle, the mystical facts have God as their author. — The need for precise notions about the supernatural to discern surely the divine intervention of the evil deceit. — Definition and degrees of the supernatural. — Nature, the natural order and the miraculous derogation. — The supernatural of grace and glory. It has God as its object.—It is established by I Scripture, — and by tradition.—Was grace a development of nature?—This hypothesis is refuted by theological considerations derived from the notion of grace, — and from the notion of glory.— Grace enhances nature, but not by creation.—It does not consist either in the union either natural or hypostatic of two beings, — or in the junction of a creature to a creature.—It is an intimate association with the lives of the three divine Persons.—Summary of the demonstration.— Important conclusion: All true supernatural comes from God. — The evil facts, natural in themselves, are supernatural only in relation to us. — Final order of matters.

I. — Unless in principle all supernatural, it is beyond dispute that his first source is in God. To consider only the mystical phenomena listed in our first two volumes and of which we currently have to justify the provenance, these facts are included in one of the three orders: intellectual, emotional and organic. However,

Does not God have free access to all the points of these three orders, and why should he be forbidden to extend or restrict the proportions of them at his own discretion, to multiply or suspend the energies?

Yes, God, who is by essence light and truth, can reveal new aspects and horizons to our minds; he can speak to him in sensitive external and internal signs, or through purely intellectual communications.

Yes, God, the Sovereign Good and the final term of our emotional life, can only act directly on our will and determine by his grace the momentum above nature.

As for the body of man, who dares to challenge God's mastership, and has no power to alter its forms and functions?

In a word, extranatural manifestations that do not hurt any moral law and do not imply contradiction may have God as the author, his power knowing no limits other than those of evil or absurdity. The series of mystical phenomena that are the subject of our first part fulfil these conditions, to be in conformity with the essential order and to overcome nature, and there is nothing to prevent us from paying homage to the divine power.

II. — Here, from the beginning, there is a considerable difficulty, to which one needs a solution, if one does not want to leave the mystic buried in inextricable darkness. All of this wonderfulness is probably right for God, but it can also come from the demon: how can we discern the intervention of these two opposing forces?

This is a long answer to make, and we can only organize it by using very precise notions about the supernatural. These notions, we could absolutely assume them and borrow the formula from dogmatic theology; but, besides that they themselves present diffi-

- with 7 serious cults, it is important that the reader fully hear them and do not lose sight of them in the applications that will follow. These principles, our march will be clear, and solutions will be easily and clearly deduced.

This is why we are devoting this first chapter to

Finish the supernatural. Before discussing the causes, the facts are set out; the theory that explains the origin of mystical phenomena is here in its place, between the presentation of facts and the discussion of causes.

IM. — The supernatural, as the word indicates, is what surpasses nature.

This concept implies, first of all, two terms, one of which adds to the other, or at least considers only the same being, two states, one of which is the normal and constant condition of life, and the other a gratuitous and exceptional annapala.

Two forms of the supernatural are thus conceived. The first, confined within the confines of nature, constitutes a benefit of pure favor, but does not draw it from its sphere. The second raises nature above itself by a wonderful association with a higher principle that communicates its overabundance.

Important distinction and gradation, which must be admitted and justified, under penalty of throwing an impenetrable veil on the problems of grace and mysticism.

IV. — The created beings possess a sum of energy which is their own and which they cannot exceed without exceeding themselves. The measurement of these native forces constitutes nature and delimitation; all that comes out of this level of being is supernatural in relation to that being. Thus, by deploying all its virtue and by using all the means of investigation, the creature does not achieve the foreknowledge of free acts, because the future is the excluded domain.

€ 1" sect.: god the only cause of the true mystic

The sif of God; thus the spontaneity of the movement is not suitable for inanimate matter.

That's not all. Creatures are subject, in the exercise of their intimate forces, to external conditions which determine in a constant and uniform manner their mutual relations of influence and dependence. All these relationships form the natural order, and their continuity we argu the laws of nature.

According to these laws and in accordance with this order, there are acts which the intrinsic energy of a being could absolutely suffice, which are forbidden to him, however, because they do not enter into the providential plan which regulates his relations and the exercise of his forces. One example is the enslavement to the current laws of space, which condemn us, from one point to another, to cross the intermediate points, prohibit us from multilocation, subject us to the proportional actions of gravity, and attach us to the earth's ground as the slave to the glebe. Although man does, he does not manage to shake these multiple servitudes; he will only be freed from it at the glorious renovation.

There are other acts that we can carry out, but under conditions of time, instrument, medium. For the normal development of our intellectual life, education and language are necessary; the culture of the mind requires the effort of application and duration; an injury is repaired, but with the help of time.

Derogations from the natural order thus consist of three degrees! At the top, it is an act exceeding the virtue of

1 S. Tao. 12 p. q. 105, a. 8: Dicitur aliquid miraculum per comparisonem ad facultatem naturæ quam excedit. And ideo secundum quod magis excedit facultatem naturæ, secundum hoc majus miraculum dicitur. Excedit altem aliquid facultatem naturæ triplicter: uno modo quantum ad substantiam facti...; quod nullo modo natura facere potest; and istanent summum gradum in miraculis. Secundo aliquid excedit facultatem naturæ, non quan-

Theory of the supernatural a

the object of the being, which God alone can accomplish; this is the first-order miracle.

Is the being freed from the obstacles imposed on his activity and does he operate, by the action of his intimate forces, which would absolutely be forbidden to him in accordance with the regular and present order: it is the second degree and the second order miracle.

Finally, when the fact is that the creature is able to realize, but that it realizes it under extranatural conditions; it is the least degree, and the miracle is of third order.

It should be noted carefully, these derogations from the natural order are supernatural only in their causality; taken in itself, the fact does not go beyond nature.: the resurrected man lives absolutely as man who never died; the paralytic healed by miracle moves his members as if he had always kept its use.

The supernatural that we have just defined, which consists in a derogation from the natural order, constitutes the miracle itself.

V. — Above this world of nature, freed even from the restrictions freely imposed by the Universal Regulator, there is another where the creature only ascends by coming out of its sphere, where it enters into communion with a life that exceeds its native capacity, from a life that the created nature, carried to its highest power, cannot realize: it is the world, it is the life of grace.

What is this elevation of nature above itself? What is this higher principle which, lowering to man, makes him partaker of his life?

tum ad id quod fit, sed quantum ad id in quo fit...; and hec tenent secundum locum in miraculis. Tertio modo excedit aliquid facultatem naturæ quantum ad modum et ordinem fafiendi...; et hujusmodi tenent infimum locum in miraculis.

This principle, it is God himself, spreading in our souls by an ineffable but real flow, which allows me to stand by by divining it; it is soft God, associating with his intimate life of intelligence and love, and thus constituting in us a new mode of existence in which man appears, no longer in the proportions of his nature, but with deified powers and operations that hold both God and man; it is not the divine, it is not the human; it is the human and the divine melted together, it is THEANDRIC.

We have constantly assumed this theory of supernatural life, when we exposed the mysteries of contemplation, this may be the place to indicate on which foundations it rests, not only to escape any suspicion of novelty, but also to bring to light the role of God in mysticism.

Yes, — we assert with a complacency full of security — God is for our souls the source and object of their supernatural life.

VI. — If we wanted to collect the testimonies of Scripture, we would go beyond the bounds of a brief and rapid demonstration; let us report only a few of these divine attestations.

Saint John makes us admire the divine charity that gives us the name and quality of God's children. "Beloved ones," said he? "we are now the sons of God, and one day we will see what we are... He who is born of God does not sin, for he carries in his soul the seed of God... Let us live in charity, and God will dwell in us: God is charity; who abides in charity remains in

1 4 Joann. mm, 4: Videte qualem charitatem dedit nobis Pater ut filii Dei nominemur ‘et simus.

- What? Ibid. 2: Charissimi, nunc filii Dei sumus, and nondum appeared quid erimus. Scimus quoniam cum appeared, similar to ei erimus.

D a cne re theory 1 supernatural pu mn.

"Thus, according to the disciple whom he loved, the gift of charity which, in the order of our restoration through Jesus Christ, expresses grace itself, or at least is inseparable from it, goes so far as to restore us the children of God and to make us reborn from himself. How do we become the sons of God, unless God communicates to us what he is? If we were born of God and the fruits of his substance, is it possible that we are not associated with the life of which he himself lives? God makes our souls his home and like his temple?: isn't it for understanding them of his virtue, to introduce them to the mysteries of his love and to bring the splendors of his glory to them sooner or later?

Paul, too, calls us the sons of God, and he adds that by this divine sonship, whose witness the Holy Spirit gives us in ourselves, we become the heirs of God and the joint heirs of Jesus Christ: but what is this inheritance of God, if not God itself?

Finally, the Prince of the Apostles sums up everything from a word that strongly reflects the sublimitity of our destinies: "By Jesus Christ, God has given us gifts that make us associates of divine nature."

VII. — Christian doctors are here as everywhere the faithful echoes of the heavenly word.

Saint Denis the Areopagit® says that sacred charity abou-

1 Joann. 1v, 7, 16: Omnis who diligit ex Deo natus is... Deus charitas est, and who manet in charity, in Deo manet and Deus in eo.

2 [ Cor. m, 16. Nescitis quia templum Dei estis, and Spiritus Dei habitat in vobis?

3 Rom. seen, 16,17: Ipse enim Spiritus testimonium reddit Spiritui nostro quod sumus filii Dei. If autem filii, and heredes, coharedes autem Christi.

4 II Petr. 1, 4: Per quem maxima et pretiosa nobis promisa donavit, ut per haec efficamini divinæ consortes naturæ.

5 From eccl. yesterday. c. 2, Migne, Patr. gr.t. 3., col. 391: Sacræ vero dilectitis... progressus primus, est ineffabilissima divini nostri statuse fabricatio, Cum enim divinus ille statuse sit quaedam nativitas divina, etc.

S ak bia sect.: god the only cause of true mystic

He holds in us the ineffable production of the divine being, and he calls this state of the soul a divine birth.

Didymus+, of all the Fathers, the one who most admirably spoke of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit in our souls, declares that every creature draws holiness, not from its substance, but from the sacred communion of another holiness, which is holiness in essence. According to Saint Basil, the holiness of creatures comes to them from an extrinsic source, which is the Holy Spirit.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem explains the presence and action of God in our souls by comparing the fire that penetrates, dilates and transforms the bodies. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, who seems to have been the doctor of sanctifying grace against the blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, as St Augustine was, at the same time, of the present grace against the Pelagians, repeats in all encounters, especially in his comment on St John, this capital truth, that God dwells in our souls, that he unites them with a mysterious graft, that by filling them with his Holy Spirit he makes them participate in his intimate life, his divinity and his glory.

1 Lib. de Spir. sancto, trad. par S. Jerome, n. 6. Migne, P. gr.t. 39, col. 1038: Omnis creatura, non ex sua substantia, sed ex communione alterius sanctitatis sancta perficitur.

2 Lib. de Spir. sancto, ©. 46, n. 38; €. 19, n. 48, Migne, t. 32, col. 435 and 155: Sanctificatio no is Spiritu absque. Neque enim cæœlorum virtutes suapte natura sanctæ sunt; alioquin not different to Spiritu sancto... Sanctificatio, quae is extra substantiam illorum, perfectionem illis affert per communionem Spiritus... Creaturæ inducta is aliunde sanctimonia; Spiritui vero sanctitas completiva is naturæ.

3 Cateches. 47, c. 14, Migne, t. 33, col. 986: If quis ferri crassitudinem intus permeans, totum in eo efficiency ignem, quodque metallum frigidum erat, fervidum effectiveur, and quod nigrum and obscurum collucens evadit..., what admires if Spiritus sanctus in animæ interiora ingreditor?

4 In Joannis Evangeli., 1. 11, c. 11, Migne, t. 74, col. 554, 562: Unio vero cum Deo non alter in quoquam esse potest quam per sancti Spiritus participationem, propriom nobis sanctificationem insertentis, and ad suam vitam subjectam corruptioni naturam reformantis, atque ita ad Deum et ad illius

Saint Augustine!, interpreting this passage from the Psalm xIx: "You are gods and the sons of the Most High," finds this sonship and deification in the grace that justifies us.

According to Saint Fulgence of Ruspe?, to make us able to love him, God must give himself to us. And the reason is, he adds, that God is charity, and that we love God only by charity; unless we receive God himself, we are not in a position to love God.

Here we stop these quotations from the first Christian doctors; the reader wishing to know more fully the series and the beauty of these testimonies can ask them to the illustrious compiler of theological traditions, Fr. Petau. However, in these statements of the former witnesses, we want to join those of the two princes of the School, Saint

Thomas d'Aquin and Suarez. The gift of grace, according to the Angelic Doctor, * surpasses

formam gloria ista privatitos revocantis.. Uno enim diversante in nobis Spiritu, unus omnium Pater in nobis erit Deus per Filium, ad unitatem mutuam et suam adducens ea quae Spiritus participant. Quodautem sancto Spiritui per participationem uniamur, hinc quoque quodammodo manifestum est.

1 Enarrat. in Ps. xuix, n. 2, p. 402: Manifestum est ergo, quia homines dixit deos, ex gratia sua deificatos, not de substantia natos. Ill im justificat that per semetipsum non ex alio justus is; and Ill deificat that per seipsum, non alterius participation, Deus is. Who is entitled justification, ipse deificat, quia justificando filios Dei fait: "Dedit enim eis potostatem filios Dei profii." If filii Dei facti sumus, and dii facti sumus: sed hoc gratiæ is adopted, not naturæ generantis.

2 From Piædestin., 1. 2, n. 45, Migne, t. 65, col. 634: Sine charity, nect Deus diligi potest, nect proximus. Utautem Deus diligi posit, ipse tribute, quia Deus charitas est, and Deum nonnisi charitate diligimus. Nisi ergo Deum accipiamus, Deum diligiere non valemus.

3 Theolog. dogm. 1. 8, ©. 3-7, Vivès, t. 3 p. 445-495.

4 Sum. 1.2, q. 442, a. 4: Donum gratiæ excedit omnem facultatem naturæ creatæ, cum nihil aliud sit quam quam qua'dam participatio divinæ naturæ, quae excedit omnem aliam naturam. And ideo impassibile is quod aliqua creatura gratiam causet. Sic enim necesse est quod solus Deus deificet, communicando consortium divinæ naturæ per quamdam similitudinis participationem, sicut impsibile est quod aliquid igniat nisi solus ignis.

14 1" SECT.: GOD CAUSE SINGLE OF MYSTICAL TRUE all the capacity of being created, because it is a participation in divine nature, which dominates any other nature. Therefore, it is impossible for grace to find its causality in the creature; God alone can thus deify by associating with his intimate life, by spreading in souls to make them a new existence of intelligence and love.

Suarez? also sees in the sanctifying grace and procession of inficent virtues from which it is inseparable, a par-tipation to the divine life, a deification by God itself of the substance, faculties and operations of the human soul. Grace is the seed of this higher life; glory is its complete development and full enjoyment.

The Church, in many of her liturgical formulas, affirms this character of grace to be an association with divine nature. Let us simply point out in general to the invocations addressed to the Holy Spirit, and by

1 Ibid. 1 p.q. #3, a. 3: Super istum modum communm (quo Deus est in omnibus rebus), est unus specialis, qui convenit naturæ rationali, in qua Deus dictur esse sicut cognitum in cognoscente, et amatum in amante... Secundum istum specialem modum, Deus non solum dictur esse in creatura rationali, sed etiam habitare in ea sicut in templo suo. Sic igitur nullus alius performed potest esse ratio quod divina persona sit novo modo in rationali creatura, nisi gratia gratum faciens.

2 De Gratia, l. 6, ©. 12, n. 2, t. 9, p. 71: Nomine igitur gratiæ sanctifyingcantis intelligimus formam quamdam, accidentalem quidem in se, quia innunciur animæ et illi inhæret; comparisone autem aliarum virtutum infusarum se habentem ad modum formæ substantialis, quia non datur tanquam principalium proximum alicujus determinatæ operationis, sed ad dandum animæ esse quoddam divinum. Unde per manc formam participatur natura divina, non prout est intellectus, vel voluntas, vel aliud attributeum quod sit operatio, vel principalium proximum operandi; sed prout est essentialia quaedam et natura supra omnem naturam substantialem creatam and creabilem. Unde fait ut, sicut natura divina secundum rationem is quasi radix intellectus and voluntatis divinæ, ita hec forma sit quasi radix secundum rem infusarum virtutum, etiam charitatis. And hinc tandem did ut per hane formam primo deificetur anima, and follow ex vi ejus connatu— raliter expellatur peccatum, ac denique ratione illius debeantur deificæ operationses usque ad visionem beatam suo tempore obtinendam.

45 to highlight this prayer made by the priest by mixing with the wine of sacrifice a few drops of water, symbol of the union of peoples with the sovereign Priest and the adorable Victim: "God, grant us, through the mystery of this water and wine, to be made partakers of the divinity of Him who has deigned to associate our humanity, Jesus Christ, your Son, Our Lord."

After the defined dogmas, Christian theology does not contain any truth more expressly, more constantly, more universally affirmed than this divinization of our souls by infusion and the presence in them of the Spirit of God. To hear only the voice of the testimony, — and this voice is the first authority in the Church, — we must come out of the region of the things created to make reason for the supernatural: grace is a divine seed cast into our souls, and we only reach to the divine by ascending up to God.

VIII. — A rational demonstration of the supernaturality of grace presents extreme difficulties. Perhaps, however, it is not unrealizable, and, with the help of God, we want to try it by means of a gradual elimination method that removes one by one all contradictions, and by enlightening our journey of truths acquired both in the name of faith and in the name of pure reason.

Unless we openly embrace the error of Pelagus, we must recognize that the grace that sanctifies us exceeds the present forces of man. The decisions of the ancient councils of Milève? and Orange, expressly reproduced and

1 Da nobis per hujus aquaæ and vini mysterium, ejus divinitatis esse consortes, who humauitatis nostræ profi dignitus is partieps, Jesus Christus Filius tuus, Dominus noster.

2 Conc. Milevit. n, can. 5: Quicumque dinerit ideo nobis gratiam justificationis dari, ut quod facere per liberum jubemur arbitrium, fabilius possimus implere per gratiam; tanquam et si gratia non daretur, non quidem facile, sed tamen possimus etiam sine illa implere divina mandatea, anathema sit.

3 Conc. Arausican. n, Can. 7: If who per naturæ vigorem bonum aliquod,

16:17 sect: god the only cause of true mysticism

This is not the case, as confirmed by the Council of Trent.

Unless we support Luther that justification consists in simply imputation of the merits of Jesus Christ, or in an extrinsic remission of sins, which leaves the sinner in his nakedness and misery, we must admit that grace penetrates souls and brings to them, through the virtue of the Holy Spirit, an intimate quality that renews them?.

This divine quality, which adheres to the sanctified soul and surpasses the present forces, is it absolutely exceeding the land capacity of nature; or could nature, placed in other conditions and deploying all its energies, reach at these heights without crossing its own enclosure?

The main problem, which is important to measure the difficulty and even more to find the solution.

As we have already said, nature is the sum of the intrinsic and constitutive forces of the being, and the being created is subject to laws of exercise that do not always allow it, which only rarely allow it to go to the workplace.

quod ad saluteem pertinet vitae æternæ, cogitare ut expedit, aut eligiere, sive salutari, id est evangelicæ, prædicationi consente possession absque illuminatione et inspiratione Spiritus sancti..., heretico fallitur spiritu.

1 Sess. 6, can. 1: If that dixit hominem is operabus, quae vel per humanæ naturæ vel per legis doctrinam fiant, absque divina per Jesum Christum gratia apose justificari coram Deo, anathema sit. — Item can. 2 and 3.

2 Conc. TRIDENT., Sess. 6, can. 11: If that dixit homines justificari vel sola imputatione justitiæ Christi, vel sola peccatorum remissione, excludeda gratia and charitate quae in cordibus eorum per Spiritum sanctum difundatur, atque illis inhaereat..., anathema sit.

3 Catecaism. Conc. Trin., P. 2, De Bapt., n. 50: Is autem gratia, quemadmodum Tridentina Synodus ab omnibus credendum pæna anathematis proposita decrevit..., divina qualitéas in anima inhærens... Atque id ex sacris litteris aperte colligitur, cum gratiam effundi dictant eamque pignus Spiritus sancti soleant callelare.

SAN, Fa

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= THEORY OF SUNATURE Fi rime

that at the end of his strength. A favourable environment and the

The Commission will be able to take the necessary measures to ensure that the Community's financial resources are used to meet the needs of the developing countries.

delay or prevent full development. And then

that it is man and the supernatural devolved to him,

It is well known that in this world of trial his action is subjected to countless bondages. Free to push to the last limit the native energy of his powers, would he come to realize what grace currently operates in him? In the end, would grace only be an anticipated and miraculous concession to a fundamentally natural perfection, which, in a state of glory, would become constant and regular? God, no doubt, should not be perfected in nature; but, by granting it, he would take it and accomplish it in nature itself.

As you can see, the question is of supreme interest. It is a question of knowing whether, in grace and even in glory, man lives and moves inexorably locked in the enclosure of his nature without ever being able to overcome him, whatever the efforts of the divine all-power and the effects of infinite goodness; or whether the gifts that sanctify and glorify him introduce him into a sphere superior to himself, where all the effort of his nature could not have carried him: in a word, — and this word sums up the problem and enables us to measure its importance, — is there in man, in relation to man himself, a true supernatural, and all the Is the supernatural of which man is susceptible there?

If one does not want to challenge the sovereignly free character of divine concessions, one must recognize that God could have limited his liberalities to the mere perfection of nature, and that this perfection would still be a free gift of his goodness. But, in reality, God, who could give less, and even not give anything, spread on his creature with such a prodigality, than not only man at the pinnacle of his power and activity, but

Figure 2

yet no created or creable nature can reach such magnificent proportions. All this therefore amounts to a question of fact, which must be resolved by the way of either divine or human testimony. We have already produced the statements of Scripture and the affirmations of Christian doctors: it remains for us to establish by reasoning and by the authority that we evade, or rather that we violate these sacred testimonies, by reducing grace to a mere completion of nature.

IX. — In proof of this assertion, one can invoke the sentences handed down against Baius. According to the Doctor of Leuven, man, before his fall, possessed, as a natural prerogative, the justice which raised him up to the participation of the divine nature, to the extent that God could not have constituted him otherwise?; the distinction of a double love, one nature., which would address God, as author of nature; the other gratuitous, which would make us love God as our supernatural end, is vain, false, imagined to avoid the holy letters and testimonies of antiquity; it is sufficient, to be justified, to obey the divine commandments, without it being necessary to do so. receive no inner graces.

Thus did Baius reason; but if grace is only a blossoming of nature, was it not right for Baius to be able to do so?

1 Prop. 21: Naturæ humanæ sublimatio and exaltatio in consortium divinæ naturæ debita fuchet integritati primæ conditionis, and proinde naturalis dicenda est, and not supernaturalis. — Item prop. 23, 24, 60.

2 Prop. 79: Falsa is doctoral senstia, primum hominem potuisse a Deo creari and institui sine justitia naturali.

8 Prop. 34: Distinctio lla duplicates amoris, naturalis videlicet quo Deus amatur ut auctor naturæ, and gratuiti quo Deus amatur ut beatificator, vana cst and commentitia and ad illudendum sacris litteris et plurimis veterum testimonis excogitata.

# Prop. 69: Justificatio impii made formaliter per obedientiam legis, nonautem per occultam communicationem et inspirationem gratiæ, quae per eam justificatos faciat implere legem.

Firming that the primitive state was natural in itself, although it was wrong, even in this assumption, to challenge its gratuitousness?

Moreover, — we call on this point the most serious attention — what would grace be during the test, while the progress promised to nature is not yet achieved? At most a free help with which we do good, we obey God's law. In the hypothesis that we are fighting, there is no room for permanent inner grace, called sanctifying or usual, nor for the divine character that several sacraments print to the soul; everything is reduced to a present and transitional concession made to nature for the perfection that it hopes.

Logical with itself, the theory that brings the supernatural back to an evolution of nature therefore goes to nothing less than the radical denial of the usual grace, exorbitant negation that limits to heresy, if it is not heresy itself. Suarez, discussing with his usual science all aspects of this question, points out among the theologians that we must not hide. Some * consider that the existence of a grace permanently in the righteous souls, apart from any operation, is a dogma that has always been imposed on belief; the common feeling? affirms that this truth was not defined before the Council of Trent; and finally, several? contest that the Council has issued on this subject no dogmatic decision, not even in the canon eleventh of the sixth session 4, where it seems to decree that the justification comes from

1 Suarez, from Gratia, l. 6, c. 3, n. 1, t. 9, p. 12: Potest dicta quaestio tractari vel de toto tempore ante Concilium Trid., vel post illud. Aliqui ergo tenerunt semper hanc veritatem escaping from a fidelity.

2 Ibid. n. 2: Communis sententia is ante conciliam Trid. hoc non fid flight.

3 Ibid. No. 5, p. 13: An conciliam hanc veritatem definiverit, multi grave theologique, qui post conciliam scripserunt, hoc negant.

4 If guis dixit homines justificari..excludes gratia and charitate quae in

20° 1° SECT.: GOD CAUSE SINGLE OF THE MYSTICAL TRUE of grace poured out by the Holy Spirit and attached to our souls.

As for Suarez himself, his opinion is that this truth, which is understood by the justification of the children? or that of the adults, was defined by the fathers of Trent; before, although not yet proposed by the Church #, it was part of the constant teaching of Catholic theologians, so much so that it would be in danger of mentioning only one who dared to contradict it. Such a challenge is worth a demonstration.

X. — The rebuttal of naturalism is even more evident in Catholic teachings concerning glory.

On glory, which is the end and crowning of grace, and therefore belongs to the same order, Christian theology professes highly, on the one hand, that God is inaccessible and beyond the reach of the created gaze; on the other, that glorious life carries with it the vision of God as it is: from where it infers that, to be introduced into glory, man needs a light superior to his nature.

The assertions about God's invisibility are based on

cordibus eorum per Spiritum sanctum diffundatur atque illis inhæreat... anathema sit.

1 Ibid., No. 6 p. 14: Censeo veritatem hanc esse definitam de fide a conciliao Trid., saltem in hoc sensu quod gratia, qua sumus permanenter justi, is res aliqua creata distincta ab actibus, and cessantibus illis in homine permanens.

2 Ibid. Licenset in particulari parvulos non nominet, tamen definitio generalis est, illos comprehendens.

3 Ibid., n.7, p. 15: Eadem certitudine idem esse tenendum de adultis.

4 Ibid. No. 3, p.13: Simpliciter verum is ante conciliam Trid. non fusse in Ecclesia tanquam fidei dogma receptum.

5 Ibid., No. 4: Censeo nunquam essse probabilem opinionem negantem simpliciter omnem gratiam infusam permanentm, etiam in adultis, quia nullum inveni theologum antiquum ita opinantem, neque de aliquo. viro catholico id relatum invenio.

6 S. THOMAS, Sum.(2.2), q. 24, a. 3, ad 2: Gratia and gloria ad idem genus renunciur; quia gratia nihil est aliud quam quam quam quadam inchoatio gloriæ in nobis,

Theory of the supernatural pe tc

the express words of Scripture. "No one has ever seen God," said St John T; and St Paul: "God dwells in an inaccessible light; no man has seen it or can see it?" and elsewhere?: "The eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, the heart of man has not felt what God prepares for those who love him." Christian antiquity * agrees to conclude from these words that the clear and direct vision of God is above the natural forces of man.

Scripture also provides the promise that one day God will appear to us face to face *, as it is, that this apparition will assimilate us to himself, and that our life in eternity will be to see God and his son Jesus Christ. This truth is necessary to belief since the definitions of Pope Benedict XII? and of the Council of Florence ° concerning the beatific vision.

Thus, this God declared invisible, inaccessible, glorified man contemplates him without veil. And since the intelligent creature cannot, by its own virtue, extend its gaze

1 Joann. 1, 18: Deum nemo vidit unquam. — Item 7 Joann. 1v, 12.

2 I Tim. vi, 16: Lucem inbabitat inaccessibilem, quem nullus hominum vidit, sed nec empty potest.

3 T Cor. n, 9: Sed sicut scriptum est (Is. Lxiv, 4): Quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quae præparavit Deus iis qui diligguent illum.

4 Pgrau, Theol. Dogm., 1. 7.0. 1,1, 7,t. 1, p. 555: Tribus autem quatuorve potissimum argumentis theologique vetes ostendere solent non possesse hac in vita, naturalique vi ingenii ac facultate perfectam obtineri notitiam Dei.

5 7 Cor. xm, 12: Videmus nunc per speculum in ænigmate, tune item faie ad faciem.

6 j Joann. 11, 2: Scimus quoniam cum appeared, like ei erimus, quoniam emptibimus eum sicuti est.

7 Joann. xvn, 3: Hæc is autem vita æterna ut cognoscant te solum Deum verum, and quem misisti Jesum Christum.

- 8-Const. Benenictus Deus (1336): Vident divinam essentiam visione intuuitiva etiam faciali.

- What? Illorumum nimas... intueri clare ipsum Deum trinum and unum sicuti is.

up to these heights t, therefore, it is necessary to assume an extra that raises the creature in a way above itself?.

In addition, the hypothesis that makes glory an evolution that complements nature is subject to manifestly erroneous consequences.

If the supernatural of glory is only the blossoming of nature,—undue and gratuitous development, or—the glorification will be equal and uniform in all the elect, since all will reach this completion of their being: the perfect beatitude requires at least the complete relaxation of the native powers.

But who dares to claim that the blessed are thus leveled, without any distinction in their glory, whatever the diversity of their merits has been? The child who expires by receiving baptism and before having done any act of virtue would equal in splendor the saints who die after long years of penance, fervour and zeal, the martyrs, the apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very soul of the Man-God! We would not have here, before and after the conciliar and papal declarations, 4

1 CLEMENTIN, l. 5,t. 3, from heretic. c. 3: Quod quaelibet intelletualis natura in se ipsa naturaliter est beata, quodque anima non indiget lumina gloriæ, ipsam elevante ad Deum viendum and 60 beate fruendum.

2 S. ErlPHaANE, Advers. hæreses, 1. Three hours. 70, n. 7, Migne, t. 42, col. 350: Deum quidem videri, præsertim ab humana natura, non-posses fateur, only quod aspectabile est, id quod videri omnino non potest, intueri fascis putamus. Sed idem tamen invisibilis Deus, pro sua humanitate ac potentia, imbecillam aciem ita virtute sua subroborare dignatur, ut quod videri alioqui non potest, aspiciate. Porro cum invisibile illud and infinitum aspiciate, not quatenés infinitum is illud intuetur, sed quantum illius, guod imbecillum est, natura capere potest, ejusmodi vi ac virtute confirmata ut ad potentis illius notitiam adæquare se posit. Quamobrem nihil is in sacris Litteris a seipso discrepans, non sententiia ulla quae ab alia sententia dissideat.

3 Conc. FrLorexnT. Decree. unionis Græc.: Intueri clare ipsum Deum trinum and unum, sicuti est, pro meritorum tamen diversitate alium alio perfectius. — Item Conc. TRID, sess. 6, can. 32.

4 Profession of faith imposed on the Orientals, by Ursain VIII and Benoit XIV

93 the Fathers! and Doctors?, that the mere proprieties of reason would suffice to convince us.

Apart from this dogma of inequality in bliss, tradition hardly disagrees over the absolute supernaturality of glory. In order not to extend this brief overview too much, we will cite only Saint Thomas and Suarez, our favorite guides in theological matters.

The Angel of the School professes that seeing God in his essence is above nature, not only of man, but of every creature; that the beatific vision is to natural knowledge what the infinite essence is to the substance created; so that the intelligence created can contemplate the divine essence, it is therefore necessary that God unite to it and raise it up to him.

For Suarez, this statement, restricted to creatures

(Apud Dexancer, Enchirid, n. 875): Pro meritorum tamen diversitate alium alio perfectius.

1 See Perau, Theologic. dogm. 1. 7, c. 10 and 11,t.41, p. 602-608.

2 SUAREZ, de Deo, 1.2, c. 20, n. 3, t. 4 p. 119: Dicendum primo non omnes emptyes Deum futuros æquales in perfectione visionis seu beatitudinis essentialis. Conclusio is a fid... Omnes sancti intelligent dictas esse multas (mansiones), propter variatatem earum.

3 Sum. 1.2, q. 5, a. 5: Videre Deum per essentiam is supra naturam non solum hominis, sed etiam omnis creaturæ... Omnis autem cognitio quae est secundum modum substantiæ creatæ deficit a visione divinæ essentiæ, queæ in infinitum excedit omnem substantiam creatam.

4 Ibid. 4 P. q. 12, a. 4: Relinquitur ergo quod cognoscere ipsum esse existens sit connaturale soli intellectui divino, and quod sit supra facultatem naturalem cujuslibet intellectus creati, quia nulla creatura est suum esse, sed habet esse participatum. Non igitur potest intellectus creatus Deum per essentiam empire, nisi inquantum Deus per suam gratiam se intellectui creato conjungit ut intelligibile ab ipso.— Item Sum. contra gentes, RO

5 De Deo, l. 2, c. 8, n. 5 and 6, p. 70: Dicendum primo illam visionem esse supernaturalem cuilibet intellectui creato. Ita censeo esse certum de fide... Testimonia vacuum sufficiency of hominibus probare, angelis vero non emptytur espressa. Nihilominus omnes theologi ita illa intelligent, and ideo cum eadem certitudine affirming conclusionem positam respectu omnis intellectus creati.

I and tete raa in the li so an arlon and

24 1" SECT.: GOD CAUSE SINGLE OF the reasonable and timely MYSTICAL TRUE, namely man and angel, has the certainty of faith. He goes further: following Saint Thomas and the School almost entirely, he declares the glorious vision simply and absolutely supernatural in relation to any creable intelligence. Elsewhere?, speaking of the eternal bliss promised to the righteous, the famous doctor holds for certain that it is at any point superior to nature, and he assigns two considerable reasons on which we seem to base the theory of the absolute supernatural: he considers it a necessary foundation to victoriously refute the pelagian error and to give reason for several points of doctrine concerning grace.

With these illustrious masters, we can therefore hold for certain that the supernatural that sanctifies and glorifies us is a gift that enhances nature.

XI. — What is this enhancement?

It will occur or by a creation that raises nature to a higher level in the scale of beings, or by the junction of two natures sharing their respective energies.

Let us first eliminate the extra by creation. Philosophers and theologians generally agree that creation is carried out in the natural order and not in the order of grace, that it constitutes natures and does not

1 De Deo, 1. 2, c. 9, n. 2, p. 73: Dicendum is visionem beatam esse simpliciter and absolute supernaturalem respectu omnis intellectus creabilis. Hæc is senticia D. Thomæ 1 P., q. 12, a. 3, quem fere omnes theologique sequuntur.

2 De Gratia, Proleg. 4, 0. 1, n.9, t. 7,p.181: Nihilominus suppono beatitudinem æternam propter quam homo creatus est, and quae illi promise ut merces meritorum, simpliciter et absolute supernaturalem esse. Hoc existimo esse necessarium fundamentum ad evertendem errorem Pelagii and ad reddendam solidam rationem plurium dogmatum de divina gratia. And ita censeo esse certum.

3 Suarez, from Gratia. 8, ©. 2, n. 8, t. 9, p. 345: Conclude ex dictis gratiam non produci per creationem, queæ nunc est opinio communis. — Item Sicvius, in 1 P., q. 45, a. 3 and 4.

. This agreement, reason inspires and justifies it by the very notion it provides of nature.

Before creating beings, God conceives them; he contemplates in himself! their model and their measure, similar to the artist who translates his ideal vision into sensitive signs. In this conception of creable or possible beings, God, as explained by the Angelic Doctor?, knows himself as imitable to this or that degree by beings who can appear out of him without being himself. Each degree forms a category of possible beings that God is free to act in more or less multiplied numbers, more or less small numbers of individuals or copies.

Fénelon exposes these things with incomparable lucidity. "This Being that is infinitely," he says, "sees, rising to infinity, all the various degrees to which he can communicate the being. Each degree of possible communication is a possible essence that responds to this degree of being that is in God indivisible with all others. These infinite degrees, which are indivisible in him, can be divided infinitely in creatures, to make an infinite variety of species. Each species will be bounded in a degree of being corresponding to these infinite and indivisible degrees that God

1 S. AuGustin, De divers. Quæst. 83, q. 46, n. 2, p. 32: Singula igitur propiris sunt creata rationibus. Hasautem rationes ubi arbitrandum est esse, nisi in ipsa mente ereatoris? Non enim extra se quidquam positum intuebatur, ut secundum id constitureet quod constitutbat: nam hoc opinari sacrilegum est.

2 S, Tnomas, Sum. 1 P., q. 45, a. 2: Plures ideæ sunt in mente divina ut intellectæ ab ipsa; quod hoc modo potest viderri, Ipse enim essentiam suam perfecte cognoscit. Unde- cognoscit eam secundum omnem modum quo cognoscibilis est. Potest autem cognosci, nor solum secundum quod in se est, sed secundum quod est participabilis secundum aliquem modum similitudinis a creaturis. Unaquæqueautem creatura habet propriom speciem secundum quod aliquo modo participat divinæ essentiæ similitudinem. Sic igitur inquantum Deus cognoscit suam essentiam ut sic imitabilem a tali creatura cognoscit eam ut propriom rationem and ideaam hujus creaturæ; and similiter de aliis.

3 Of the Evistence of God, Part. 2, Ch. 4, n. 53, t. 1, p. 70.

knows about him. These degrees, which God sees distinctly in himself, and which he sees eternally in the same way because they are immutable, are the fixed models of all that he can do out of him."

Thus, every being that arises out of God necessarily reproduces the measure determined in divine thought. Therefore, what constitutes an existing being in its substance is the faithful reproduction of its essence or of the divine conception that serves it as a type, and this background of the existing being is what we call nature, which is only the actuation of the essence by the creative act.

From these principles, it is easy to conclude that a given essence cannot cross the limit that characterizes it without encountering a new essence of which it stands out. By the same reason, nature, which is only the actuated essence, cannot, without cease to be itself, pass from the degree which constitutes it to a higher degree. This passage can only be the annihilation of the being represented by one essence, and the appearance of a new being responding to another essence.

So this is what the mystery of grace would be reduced in the hypothesis of the increase of being by way of creation: to a nature that ends and to a more perfect nature that succeeds it. Every possible degree of being representing a essence, and this actual degree realizing the nature that corresponds to it, one never adds; one destroys to replace; one makes new natures, but not supernatural. Far from explaining the supernatural, this theory therefore logically leads to its suppression; hence it must be concluded that its starting point is wrong.

XII. — The hypothesis of the junction of beings is complex.

First of all, it cannot be said here that there is a question of natural union, i.e. the merger of two activities into a single home of life and operation, as well as that of a single home of life and operation.

27 exists in man, for example, between the body and the soul; for there would therefore be no more to distinguish the natural from the supernatural, the proper association being to make several elements only one nature; and, when understood from the confusion or mixture between God and man, the theory which would claim to justify the supernatural would renew the error professed by Eutychès on the unity of nature in Our Lord.

Is the bond we're talking about hypostatic?

Assuming that a similar union is possible! from creature to creature, it has not come to the thought of any Catholic theologian to seek there the reason for grace.

And we understand it: such a theory leads, by its very statement, to a manifestly wrong consequence, knowing that every justified creature becomes God by virtue of his hypostatic union with a divine person, and that it is necessary to worship this creature in the same way that we worship Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word.

What, moreover, would be the Divine Person who, through his hypostatic union, would become our grace?

For the People of the Trinity, it is absolutely certain that alone? the second, that is, the Word, has entered into a hypostatic alliance with the creature. Tradition attributes the Father invisibility#, and it believed to refute peremptory-

1 See Suarez, from Incarn, disp. 13, sect. 4, t. 17, p. 490.

2 Suarez, de Incarn., d. 12, sect. 1, n. 2 and 3, t. 17, p. 461: Ex divinis personis sola persona filii incarnata est and humanitatem assumepsit. Is fide definita... And sumitur ex omnibus scripture locis, in quibus Filius Dei specialiter dicitur incarnatus, quod nunquam de Patre vel Spiritu sancto asseritur... Traditionem sanctorum Patrum referre non oportet, quia est notissima.

3 GınouILHAC, Hist. des dogm. cathol., Ate p., 1.8, ch. 40, t. 2, p. 292: If it is a certain and recognized truth in the Church of the first three centuries, it is that, among the Persons of the Augustus Trinity, the only Son was incarnate.

4 hours. Kuee, Hist. Manual of Dogm. Chrét., 2nd P., ch. 2, n.1, t.1, p. 254: It is also attributed invisibility, to determine what it is in

tel ue, MR SALE to 2.

In the case of the Sabellian error, which admitted among the Persons of the Trinity that a nominal distinction was made, by inflicting on its followers the infamous note of patriarchs, so much so that it was known that the Father did not incarnate himself or relate to the creature, as the Son to humanity. With the possible exception of Montan?, he did not meet heretics who imagined an incarnation of God the Father. Simon the Mage? called the Force of God, and dared to call the Holy Spirit Helen, a vile harlot whom he led with him; but these insignia were not to be echoed.

The Christian teaching identifies, it is true, the gift of grace with the Holy Spirit, but by attribution only, excluding any natural and hypostatic conjunction. Several Fathers, among others St Jerome, impute to Montan for having given himself for a manifestation

time toward the creature, with which he is not in immediate connection, but through the mediation of the Son.

1 S. AUGUSTIN, from Hæres., n. 41, p. 227.

2 S. Eripnane, Adv. heres., 1. 2, ær. 48, n. 11, Migne, t. 41, col. 871: Pergit Montanus infelix homuncio: No angelus, inquis, non legatus aliquis, sed egomet Deus Pater accessi... Montanus contra vel Parentem se se esse gloriatur.

3 5. EPIPHANE, Adv. hær.,. 1 hr. 21 n. Two, collar. 287: Ridicula de ea re fabula discipulos aspersit: se enim summam esse Dei Vim, scortum vero sum Spiritum esse sanctum assertausus est, cujus gratia de coelo descenderat.

4 P. Prrau, Theolog. dogm., de Trinit., 1. 8, ©. 7, n. 19, t3; p. 493: Quinam substantiva illa Spiritus sancti communicativetio, quam ex antiquorum Patrum decreto ac sentia, etiam personæ ipsius videri hectnus docui, ab ea differat conjunctione cum homine Verbi Dei atque Filii, quae unam ex ambabuse naturis personam effective. No is difficult to answer, eaque ex iis confictur, quae identidem in superioribus capitibus adspersimus. Ostendimus enim non semel, conjunctionem illam Spiritus sancti neque evorx4v neque ónoctatrixàv esse, hoc est, negue naturalem, neque personalem; quasi una fiat ex ambobus natura, vel persona.

8 Epist. 41 ad Marcellam, in-4°, Migne, t. 22, col. 476: Aperta est convincenda blasphemia dicentium, Deum primum voluisse in veteri Testamento per Moysen et prophetas salvare mundum; sed, quia non potuerit explere, corpus sumpsisse de Virgine et in Christo sub specie Filii prædi-

But Baronius, without doubt by historical scruple, and perhaps also by deference for the memory of Tertullian associated with that of Montan, defends him from this accusation and thinks that if the enormity that St.Epiphanus reproaches him for being said to the Father, and that of which St.Jerome speaks of having affirmed himself the Holy Spirit, have some foundation, these monstrous exaggerations are less the act of this heresiarch than that of his followers.

The personal union of the Word with human nature is therefore the only one of this kind, and nothing allows it to extend beyond the individuality of the Saviour Jesus. Origen was imputed to have taught that Christ would one day absorb all creatures, men, angels and even demons, in an immense and common hypostasis, and thus bring the world back to unity: unhealthy dreams that the fifth ecumenical council struck with anathema?. Christ is the meritorious and exemplary cause of grace, but by no means our grace itself. It is therefore in vain that we would seek the notion of grace in the mystery of the hypostatic union of the Word with human nature.

What else would be the point of imagining personal association with the Man-God — and what we say about the Word?

cantem, mortem obiisse pro nobis. And whoa per duos graduated mundum salvare nequiverit, ad extremum per Spiritum sanctum in Montanum, Priscam and Maximillam, insanas feminas, descends.

1 Annales ecclesiastes. anno Christi 173, n. 25, t. 2, p. 353: Verum haec omnia arbitror jactata potius a Montanistis quam. a Montano... Sitam horrendas palam blasphemias Montanus effutisset, quorsum de eo dubitare, prophet, an pseudopropheta fuerit, opus erat? Quid tamdiu de eo altercatum atque consultatum? In re tam patente, nulla prorsus opus erat altercatione: nam ipso primo audito blasphemiæ, eam cujuscumque liquet impii, aures exhorruent, etc.

2 Can. 12 and 14. (Apud Enchiridion DrenzincerR), n. 200, p. 78: If that dixit quod uniuntur Deo Verbo per omnia similiter cælestes virtutes and omnes homines, and diabolus, and spiritualia nequitiæ, ut ipsa Mens, quae dicitur ab ipsis Christus..., so that dixit quod omnium rationabilium unitas una erit, hypostasi and numero sublatis una cum corporibus...; quod identitas futura est cognitionis quemadmodum et hypostaseon..., anathema sit,

Incarnate applies to any other union of such nature, — like the last word of grace that sanctifies us, when this same grace is, from the confession of all theologians!, necessary to the soul of Jesus Christ to associate with the divine person of the Word? The problem of our souls is simply transposed to the human soul of the Savior, where it is reappeared and with new complications. To push back a difficult solution, the insoluble difficulties are multiplied.

It is therefore abusing that to make consist the secret of sanctifying grace in a personal bond either from creature to creature, or from the Incarnate Word or from the other two divine Persons with human souls.

XIN. — What is left of natural union and hypostatic union to explain the added value of nature, if not to admit that a community of life is established between man and a superior being, less profound than the hypostatic union, more intimate than the moral association of feelings and action? But if one succeeds in demonstrating that the creature is incapable of uniting with the creature with the intimacy that grace implies, then it will remain acquired that grace is exclusively divine, that it

1 S, Tomas, Sum. 32 P., q. 7, a. 1: Necesse is ponere in Christo gratiam habitualem propter tria, etc.

Suarez, de Incarn. disp: 18, s. 9, n. 3, t. 17, p. 581: Dico primo: Christi animam habuisse donum gratiæ habitualis. Ita docent omnes doctores. — And n. 5, p. 582: Dico secundo: secundum fidem certum existimo hanc habitualem gratiam esse in anima Christi.

Vasquez, from Incarnat. D. 41, c. 14, n. 4, 6, 11, t. 4 p. 345.

Luco, Myst. Incarnate. D. 16, s. 5, n. 91, p. 274: Communis et certa senticia omnium Theologorum fetish Christum habere gratiam habitualem... An haec consulsio sit de fide: assertat Suarez quem alii sequuntur... Cæterum Vasquez, quem communiter sequuntur recentiores, fatetur hoc non posé sine temeritate negari; negat tamen esse de fide; cui magis adhæreo.

D. Perau, Theol. dogm. 1. 44, c. 42, n. 7 t. 6 p. 486: Usitata in scholis est senticia, quam nemo prudens temere solicitare audeat.

occurs through an ineffable conjunction between God and the soul, which raises and involves the soul in the intellectual and affective life of God.

We touch on the most delicate and decisive point of the demonstration, on the crucial argument that concludes with the absolute supernaturality of grace and glory.

If it were only a simple agreement of thoughts and wills, a mutual exchange of aspirations, sympathy and love, which would consider contesting, from creature to creature, from soul to soul, these sweats effaced? But we suppose demonstrated and admitted that grace compends the creature who receives it and over-additions to its native power. Now, the trade between creatures, however intimate, does not allow them to cross their respective enclosures; the loving being remains always out of the loved one; neither one nor the other pushes his action beyond himself, and, in Pun as in the other, the received and given love is purely natural. This is the life of relationship between creatures; they juxtapose themselves, they do not compenetrate; they act and provoke to movement, but in these reciprocal actions and reactions, each unfolds its own forces and never exceeds its sphere.

That is why Christian doctors unanimously teach that God alone can insinuate the most intimate of the being he creates and maintains, that only he is able to invade the substance, to reside in it as in a sanctuary, to make his light shine, to soak like a penetrating oil of the flow of his life and love.

In the testimony of Didymus, only the Trinity can give itself to the

ì De Trinit.1.1, c. 20, Migne, t. 39, col. 370: Ipsa sola (Trinitas...) participari secundum essentiam potest et templum implere quod condidit... Nulla vero creata res, quantum quidem loquendi consuetudo fert a Scripturis servata, per participationem communicated diici potest aut substantialiter hominem implere valet.. In nobis porro habitare and Patrem, and Filium, and Spiritum testantur Scripturæ.

to participate in and fill the temple she has made: to the cun created being is not able to communicate in this way. It is said of several saints, says this former doctor!, what were they full of the Holy Spirit; of whom was it said that he was filled with a creature? Never in the sacred pages or in the common language is anyone said to be full of an angel or any heavenly power: such communication is only suitable for God. Gennade?, famous author of the vith century, in the book in which he describes the course of ecclesiastical teaching, ranks among the constant truths that he alone can flow into the soul that is the creator of it. The pious Abbé Rupert, renewing the arguments of the former controversists against the Macedonians, concluded that the divinity of the Holy Spirit had the power to enter into the soul and penetrate its depths. Before him, Saint Bernard also taught that sinsinuating and spreading in the spirits is the proper substance of divine substance. "No pure spirit," he said,

1 Lib. of Spiritu sancto, n. 8th and 8th. 60. Ibid. col. 1039 and 1082: Quidam etiam Spiritu sancto pleni esse dicuntur: nemo autem, live in Scripturis live in consutudine, plenus creatura dicitur. Neque enim aut Scriptura sibi hoc vindicat aut sermo communis, ut dicas plenum esse queempiam angelo, throno, dominatione; soli quippe divinæ naturæ his convenit sermo... Angeli autem préæsentia, sive alicujus alterius excellentis naturæ quae facta est, non implet mentem atque sensum... Animam vel mentem hominis nulla creatura juxta substantiam posit implere nisi sola Trinitas, etc.

2 De ecclesiastest. dogm. liber, c. 83, Migne, P. L.T. 58, collar, 999: Illabiautem lied, illi soli posibile is who creates.

3 Of divine. Officers, 1. 10, c. 9, Migne, t. 170, pass. 274: Finding igitur quod Spiritus sanctus humanæ animæ capabilis sit, up penetret interiora, utpote quem illa bibit, id est in interiora suæ substantiæ recipit. At vero hoc divinæ substantiæ propriom est, nihilque aliud humanum vel angelicum potest penetrare spiritum, præter ipsius omniumque creatorem Deum.— Item, c. 20, col. 283.

4:n Cant. serm. 5, n. 8, p. 161: Nullus angelorum, nulla animarum hoc modo mihi capabilis, nullius ego capax. Nec ipsi angeli ita se alterutrum capiunt. Sequestretur proinde prærogativa hæc summo ac incircumscripto Spiritui... Per se indigitor, per se innotescit,' purus capitur. a puris.

To no human soul is able to receive me, nor can I receive them in me. The angels themselves cannot understand each other in this way. It is the exclusive prerogative of the sovereign Spirit, which is not subject to any limit." This is still the feeling of the first doctors of the School: Peter Lombardt, Saint Thomas?, Saint Bonaventure *, and, following them, the mass of the theologians +, of all mystical authors without exception.

XIV. — From all these testimonies, from all these evidences, there emerges a conclusion that we hold for certain and to which we have led the increasing and rigorous elimination that we have just made, knowing that God is the means and object of our spiritual life, supernatural, eternal; to formulate it in two words, that it is our grace and our glory.

This conclusion adopted, we understand with the clarity of the evidence why theologians and mystics make consist of perfection and salvation in the union of the soul with God; all the Christian doctrine unfolds with admirable unity, from the glory which is the consummation and the final term, to the means of achieving it: prayer, sacraments, sacrifice; the divine promises recorded in Scripture, the teachings of the Fathers and doctors, the rites and liturgical formulas, all forms, all symbols, all affirmations of life supernatural melt and shine in a harmonious ensemble. On the contrary, if we dispute that our holiness is a participation in divine life, we no longer know where to grasp the notions

1 Sent. 1. 2, d. 8, n. 5, Migne, t. 2, 18, Col. 159: Notandum quod mentem hominis juxta substantiam nihil implere posit nisi creatrix Trinitas.

2 Sum, 32 P. q. 64, a. 4: Solus Deus illabitur animae.

3 Sent. 1. 2, d. 8,p. 2, a. 1, Q. 2, t. 2, p. 448 and 449: Solus divinus spiritus animæ potest illabi... Illabi spiritui rationali is divinæ substantiæ propriom.

4 Suarez, de Angelis, 1.2, c. 5, n. 13, t. 2, p. 118: Probatur ex communi sensia theologorum docentium solam Trinitatem lie illabi,

Figure 3

34 1% SECT.: GOD CAUSE UNIQUE OF THE MYSTICAL TRUE of the supernatural, grace is made an insoluble riddle, shadow is cast on the best part of the revealed dogmas.

Now, who does not know? Harmony is one of the most obvious characters of truth, while the break-up is the note and logical consequence of error.

So it remains established that the gift of grace and glory raises man to a real, sublime association with God.

And, not to conceal anything from the ineffable and glorious mystery of this communion, let us add that it introduces man into the secret of the Trinity, or rather that it introduces the Trinity to the most intimate of man. We may not have insisted enough on this aspect of grace, which brings to its peak the elevation and honor of the supernaturalized creature, and it is not at the end of our demonstration that the evidence must be deduced: that we should simply point out the sources of it.

They abound in Scripture, where it is said in many places that the three divine Persons come to dwell in us and that we are called to enter into society with them, and, more frequently, that the Holy Spirit fills us with his virtue and sanctifies us by his presence?

They are multiplied in this double form in the countless documents of tradition: sometimes the holy doctors affirm in formal terms that the Augustus Trinity penetrates our souls to sanctify them and glorify them; sometimes, — it is the ordinary form — they mention only the Holy Spirit, the substantial love of the Father and the Son, inseparable, as such, from the principle of which he proceeds; inseparable also by virtue of the cercimencession of the three divine Per-

1 Joann. xiv, 20, 921, 23; xvit, 23. — 1 Joann. 1, 2 and 3. — Eph. u, 18.

2 Luke. 1, 15; 11.25. — Joann. m, 5; xiv, 17. — I Joann. m, 24. — Act. 1, 8; 1, 17; wine, 17, 1X, 17, 31. — Rom. vni, 4, 9, 14, 16; v, 5. — Gal. 1v, 6. Comm; ant, 16: Life D LOS Ex 8 ME COr- OE a E xm, 43. — Eph. 1, 13; 1, 18; 1v, 30; v, 18. — 1 Thess. 1v, 8; v. 19. — Hebr. VI, 4th — I Petr. 1v; 14. — Jud. 20.

33 sounds, which necessarily calls, wherever one of these Persons appears, the other two! If the work of sanctification is attributed to the Holy Spirit, it is that it is eminently the work of love, and that in the Trinity the Third Person represents love. We keep the testimonies; but let us at least mention some of the most illustrious names. Origen?, Tertullian ê, Saint Cyprien 4, Saint Athanasius*, St John Chrysostom 5, St Ambrose 7, St Basile‘, St Gregory of Nazianze, St Cyril of Alexandria £, St Augustine!, St Leo the Great *?, St Gregory the Great, St Bernard **, most of the Fathers, - in a word, give their hand to the great representatives of the School and Christian theology: the Master of Sentences ©, the Angelic Doctor #, the Seraphic Doctor ", Bellarmin ‘$, Suarez‘, Silvius*, Bossuet *.

4 S. I've heard that. From Trinit. 1. 1, n. 48: Aliquando ita loquimur de Spiritu sancto, tanquam solus ipse sufficiat ad beatitudinem nostram, and ideo solus sufficit quia separari a Patre and Filio non potest; sicut Pater solus sufficit, quia separari a Filio and Spiritu sancto non potest. And Filius ideo suffcit solus, quia separari a Patre and Spiritu sancto non potest.

2 Periarch. 1.1, ©. 1, n. 3, Migne, t. 44, col. 122.

3 Apolog. v. 18, 39, Rigault, p. 18, 35.

In Epist. 73 ad Jubain. and epist. T4 ad Pompium, p. 260, 276.

5 Epist. ad Serap. n. 30, Migne, t. 26, col. 599.

6 Jn Joann. Hom. 87, n. 3, Migne, t. 59, col. 471.

7 De Spir. sancto, l. 1, ©. 10-12, Migne, t. 16, col. 731-735.

8 Advers. Eunomium, 1. 5, Migne, t. 29, col. 770.

9 Carm. 1.2, v. 630, Migne, t. 37, col. 1017.

10 Thesaur. Ass. 34, Migne, t. 75, col. 574-618.

11 Im Joann. Tract. 76, n. 4 p. 181.

12 Serm. 76, C. 4, Migne, t. 54, col. 406.

13 In Evangeli. hm. l. Two, man. 30, n. 2 and 3, Migne, t. 76, Col. 1220.

14 From diversis serm. 89, p. 120. — In Cant. serm. 71, p. 385.

15 Lib. I Sent:.d. 14, Migne, t. 218, Col. 47.

16 Sum. 1 P. q. 43, a. 3, ad 4 etad 2, — a. 4, ad 2, — to. 5.

17 Sent. l. 1, d. 15, p.2, a. 1, q. 1-3, t. 1, p. 257. — Serm.in die Peniccostes, t. 13, p. 290.

18 Controversies. de Gratia, l. 1, C. 4, t. 4 p. 525.

49, De Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 3,.n. 4, t.,7, p. 137

20/COm.in 1 P. q. 43, a. 5, ad 3, t.14, p: 329.

21 Elevate. 9th Sem., 9th elev. t. 10, p. 40.

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36 47° SECT.: THE SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUE The consequence of this sublime theology is wonderful. The life of the Father is to beget the Son, and, with the Son, to produce the Holy Spirit; the life of the Son is to proceed from the Father and to be with him the principle of the Holy Spirit; the life of this third Person is to form between the Father and the Son an immense and substantial current of love. Grace, making us partakers of the divine nature and associating ourselves with the lives of the three Persons, therefore brings us a certain communion to the mysterious operations through which the adorable Trinity is constituted; our souls take part in this ineffable life, not, doubtless, an essential part like the Divine Persons, but a true part of accidental association and similarity. Our mind sees only shadows in the mystery of a three-person God: is it surprising that it sees nothing in the mystery of the entry of these Persons and their development into the creature? "Who will tell us," exclaims Bossuet? "whose gaze is so deep in the reasons of things, who will tell us what is this secret part of our soul, of which the Father and the Son make their temple and sanctuary? Who will tell us how intimately they live there? As they dilate it to walk around, and, from this intimate bottom of the soul, spread everywhere, occupy all powers, animate all actions?" But this mystery, however deep the secret is, we know that it is accomplished; if

1 BonaL, Inst. theolog., de Gratia, n. 195, t. 3 p. 193: Queæritur an gratia sit, saltem consequenter, participationatio seu specialis quaedam similitudo ipsius actus quo Deus vivit ad intra, quo sciliket, Pater generation Filium, and quo Pater et Filius breathant Spiritum sanctum? — Resp. Etenim, ex jam dictis, gratia est communicativetio et participatio essentiæ divinæ ut vitisis in trinitate personarum; porro vita Dei per tres divinas personas est ipsemet actus quo Pater generation Filium, et quo Pater et Filius spirant Spirilum sanctum. Ergo gratia, sive in principalio, sive in fine, sive in se, est, saltem consequencer, participatio seu specialis quaedam imitatio hujusmodi actus.

2 Medit, on the Bishop, day 93, t. 9, p. 473.

Ere

> 187 we are powerless to tell how this divine generation operates in us, it is not a reason to challenge the reality or knowledge of it, as Saint Fulgence pointed out! responding to this sophism of the arians that the generation of the Word is inexhaustible, no one has the right to assert it.

XV. — It is time to summarize the variety of these aspects on the supernatural and to deduce from them the consequences that interest mysticism.

The supernatural appears in two forms. The first one is accomplished in the sphere of nature, by virtue of a derogation from the regular and normal order; in other words, it is a natural fact in itself, but coming from an intervention by God contrary to or at least alien to the laws of nature.

It's the miracle in relation to the natural order.

The second form brings to nature a real addition that raises the being to a new life. It is no longer merely a derogation from natural laws, a miraculous intervention of the Creator in the field of nature; it is a moral fusion — more than moral, but not becoming either hypostatic or natural — between the creature and God, an ineffable union which, applied to man, constitutes a way of being that holds from God and man, a #heandric state.

This communion of man with divine life consists of two successive phases: grace and glory. Grace coincides with trial; glory is term and consumption. Each of these states has its regular march. The life of the test is to avoid consciousness, to avoid the

1 Contra Arianos lib. Object. 2, Migne, t. 65, col. 207: Filii generatio inenarrabilis est, iguorabilis non est; ne ne enim consequens est ut quod non potest enarrari non posit sciri, cum ipsum Deum nullus valus valeat enarrare, nect impune tamen alicui liceat ignorare.

— b 1? + y P 4 l ÿ 4 4 S; 128 RSA £ your ES

. to encourage and increase by free, meritorious and progressive acts. The derogation from this providential order is equivalent to a miracle in supernatural order, as the derogation during nature realizes the ordinary miracle. Thus, the facts of contemplation are miraculous, even in relation to the order of grace, which has as its rule not vision, but faith; similarly, the sudden ascension of sin to the heroism of virtue, or from a lower state of perfection to another sublime, are derogations from the common law of sanctification.

The whole mystic is in this miraculous order, in the miraculous in relation to nature, and in the miraculous in relation to grace. But the exception to supernatural order always entailing a derogation from the natural order, the latter character precisely defines the miracle and suffices to prove any miraculous divine intervention.

XVI.—From all this comes a conclusion of sovereign importance. We are looking for the characteristic sign of the divine supernatural. However, to some degree the supernatural of which we have just described the forms, it is evident that God alone is the author of it. The order of grace in its normal or exceptional state, is it not at first obvious that it emanates from God, as the grace itself, of which we have recognized the total supernaturality? This is not otherwise the miraculous derogation from the natural order: no being created escapes the laws of nature, either by going beyond the sphere of his activity or by emancipating from the conditions to which the providential plan subjects the exercise of it. Therefore, the miracle itself, or the truly extranatural phenomenon, exceeds any created power, as St Thomas teaches!

14 P. q. 110, to. 4: Dicendum quod miraculum proprie dictur, cum aliquid fit præter ordinem naturæ. Sed non suficit ad rationem miraculi si aliquid fiat præter ordinem naturæ alicujus, particularis; quia sie cum

net MALE SP à í ari "AN"4 to E 84 f n TON j

Theory of the Smie Smie and, with him, the crowd of theologians, and constitutes a divine ER A fact.

XVII. "However, the angelic Doctor!" recognized, and we recognize with him, an improper miracle, said, that he calls miraculum quoad nos, that is, miracle in relation to us, and whose whole supernatural is reduced to the intervention of a power superior to man in the sphere of man, to produce there, through a copnatural action, a phenomenon that neither man nor the inferior beings can accomplish, at least in the given conditions. In itself the fact is purely natural, for the superior agent realizes it only by putting into play the intimate forces of the external elements, and by conforming, in this influence, to the proportions and laws of his own nature, to the proportions and laws of the natures which he alters: two conditions also necessary and which it is important to notice; no power other than creative power is sufficient to raise the being above its level or to remove it from the laws which govern it. Creatures cannot therefore derogate from or derogate from nature and natural order. They are superior to man, and they do, it is true, what man cannot do; but, like man himself, they are subject to the law of their measure and of their environment. And it is because he has mad claims to the divinity, that the demon affects the virtue of the miracle and

aliquis projicit lapidem sursum, miraculum faceret, cum hoc sit præter ordinem naturæ lapidis. Ex hoc ergo aliquid dicitur esse miraculum, quod fit præter ordinem totius nature creatæ. Hoc autem non potest facere nisi Deus: quia, quidquid fait angelus vel quaecumque alia creatura propria virtute, hoc fit secundum ordinem naturæ creatæ; and sic non est miraculum. Unde relinqueteur quod solus Deus miracula facere posit.

1 Ibid. ad 2: Miracula simpliciter loquendo dicuntur cum aliqua fiunt præter ordinem totius nataræ creatæ. Sed quia non omnis virtus naturæ creatæ est nota nobis, ideo eum aliquid fit præter ordinem naturæ creatæ nobis notæ per virtutem. creatam nobis ignotam; est miraculum quoad nos. Sic igitur cum dæmones aliquid faiunt sua virtute naturali, miracula di cuntur non simpliciter, sed quoad nos. To

40 17° SECT.: God's SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUTH strives to accredit him by equivocal or manifestly disorderly prestiges, which in the eyes of ignorant or perverse men have a supernatural appearance. He can simulate, never realizes a true derogation from the laws of nature; therefore, there is no miracle, but perfidious counterfeits of the miracle.

In the end, suprahuman manifestations fall into two classes: one superior to all the energies created, the other naturally achievable by a finite being, but more powerful than man. According to the notion we have given of it, the miracles of the first and second order always belong to the first category; only the miracles of the third order are suitable for the second, — not when they are operated by a real derogation from the providential order, for in this case they proceed directly from God, who alone can derogate from the laws of nature, — but when they result from the implementation of higher natural forces which supplement the conditions imposed on the inferior being. There is this common ground where God and the demon intervene in turn: God to lift up the law, the devil to realize wonders proportionate to his natural virtue, but which amaze man, because they surpass human forces.

One sees it, the difficulty is not to theoretically establish that the true miracle is divine, but to recognize when there is miracle. If one could specify with certainty the limits of nature and the conditions of normal order, the mere inspection of the facts which derogate from it would make it possible to conclude to the miracle and to the divine; it would only remain to be decided, using extrinsic notes on the wonderful of the third degree, achievable by the natural action of a being more powerful than man. If it is impossible to determine in all their extent those boundaries of the nature and the enclosure where its activity is circumscribed, we can

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at least collect and report a number of phenomena that clearly exceed the effort of being created, a precious nomenclature that will safely reveal to us the best part of divine manifestations.

The wonderful facts that escape this category are of two kinds: some ostensibly bad, and hence the exclusive part of the demon; the other good in themselves or indifferent, but achievable by the enemy power of God and man: to decide their origin, one must discuss the circumstances and the results.

XVII. — So, after this exhibition of the principles on the supernatural, it is easy for us to indicate the applications we are going to make of them. Among the miraculous facts, some demand a power that God alone possesses, and therefore duly observed, they infallibly denounce God's action. The devil, in turn, has ways of revealing himself that are his own, because they are the bold negation of order, truth, holiness: wherever one meets them, one is in the presence of Satan. Finally, it is a supernatural intermediate, which can be God's work, which can also come from misleading langage; and it will only be with the help of extrinsic considerations drawn from moral order, borrowed from all that surrounds the phenomenon, that one will be able to distinguish which of these two influences is in action. This brings back to {the following forms of superhuman manifestations: the supernatural exclusively divine, the supernatural exclusively evil, the supernatural which can be suitable for God or the demon and which we will call, for this reason, the common supernatural.

In the chapters that follow, we will recognize God's part, either that which is his own, or the part, indecisive in itself, but which circumstances require to attribute to him. After indicating these characters of divine intervention, we will discuss the means employed.

to achieve it. We'll follow about the same march

in the presentation of the deceitful and infamous practices by which Satan apes God's action. After that, we will only have to describe the human eccentricities that have some analogy with the facts, either divine or diabo-

leagues, and to indicate the differences. Our task will then be fulfilled.

Chapter II

The Exclusively Divine Supernatural

We can only point out a few categories of facts. — The creation of a

substance: difficulty of seeing the reality of the miracle. — The resurrection. — Precautions for having the certainty of death. Saint Vincent Ferrier resurrects a child cut into pieces.

— In the case of lesions, even if they are considered mortal, one must not hasten to resort to the miracle. — The promptness and persistence of healings sounds the surest signs of divine intervention. — In the intellectual order, God claims the prophecy and discernment of the spirits, — the words and intellectual visions, the purely mental reminder of ecstasy. — In the moral order, divine intervention is revealed in sudden conversions and in the process of re-establishment. brilliant, in the sudden ascension of a lower state of perfection to a sublime state.

I. — As we have already said, if the boundaries of nature were clearly known to us, we would know from where the supernatural begins, and we would be in a position to discern the divine manifestations that exceed the forces created. Taken in all its extent, this limit escapes us; but we can point out a number of facts that the creature is not enough to realize and whose existence, therefore, reveals the immediate intervention of the Creator. The nomenclature of these facts is for us the supernatural exclusively divine.

II. — In the body order, prodigies which require

Nes are au ean cac amar na a e a dt or a na a eu a ap qg u pan 4 ae ne à { > ars aa er es t r

Sovereign power is numerous. We should point out

In the first place the production of a substance, for it is a certain point that God alone can create; but it is difficult, if not impossible, to make experimental sure that the being comes out of nothing, that it is not a pre-existing substance that moves and appears. Despite the full certainty of the principle, applications are too problematic for a solution to be seen.

IN. — The return to life, which is much less difficult to see, is almost as guaranteed in favor of the divine miracle. The creator of the soul and body can alone operate or restore the mysterious bond that unites them into a single focal point of operation. Suarez °, mentioning a singular opinion according to which the soul, in some ecstasy, would be separated from the body, then reunited again by the evil virtue, the trade of pure imagination, and declares in faith the contrary truth. Thus, the many resurrections performed at the prayer of the saints are works of God's hand, whether they concern men or they are performed on animals.

Strangely, there may be more wonderful in the resurrection of a beast than in the resurrection of a man: in this one, it is enough to join the immortal soul to the organism that she informed; but the souls of the beasts do not survive separation, it is a new vital principle that must be created to revive the body, unless we admit with Saint

1 S. Tuomas, Sum. 1 P. q. 45, a. 5: Sic igitur impassibile is quod alicui creaturæ conveniat creare, ne ne ne virtute proprio, ne only instrumentaliter, sive per ministerium.

2 De Relig. 1. 2, c. 18, n. 7 t. 14, p. 199: Quodautem quidam dicunt virtute daemonis proud ut in hujusmodi raptu anima realiter separetur a corpore, et postea iterum uniatur, commentitium est et contrarium veritati fidei quae doce solum Deum possess animam a corpore semel separatam iterum illi unitire.

3 See. Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific., 1. 4, P. 1, ©. 21 n. 5, t. 4 p. 455.

Fa the supernatural exclusively divine 2; 45 to

Thomas! and other serious authors? that God can bring back

the very one that was destroyed; conception quite difficult to justify by metaphysics.

IV. — In any event, two precautions are indispensable, but decisive, for the certainty of the resurrection: to see the fact of death beforehand, and then to see the return to life.

We understand it, Until it is shown that death has been real, there can be no question of resurrection, and, as long as the body retains its material integrity, the cerütude of death is not easy to obtain. We do not have to discuss here the various cases, nor the signs that one claims to recognize that life has ceased: we refer to Benedict XIV, * who deals with all the points of view of this interesting subject at length and skillfully. Death is at least unquestionable when the main parts have been crushed or separated, as soon as corruption is started, and more importantly advanced or consumed.

Benedict XIV © quotes several canonization trials where facts of the first kind have been discussed and admitted; but the most extraordinary, without doubt, is the one reported in the life of St Vincent Ferrier.

1 Quodlibet 4, a. 5.

2 Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei beatif., l. 4, P.1, c. 21 n. 6 p. 156: Ad normam hujus doctrinæ Angelici præceptoris, nemo est qui non empretat veram resurrectionem diici possesse, tum de hominibus, tum de brutis; de hominibus, ob regressum animæ quae non perierat, utpote immortalis, ad idem corpus; de brutis per novam productionem ejusdem animæ, lict ante ad nihilum redactæ; cum Deo æque facile sit et ad existendum primo vocare quae nunquam fuerunt, and revocare quae fuerunt.

Three Zaccuias. Quæst. medical-legal. 1. 4, t: 1, q. 11, n. 17-19, t. 4 p. 293: If verum is implicare contradictionem performem semel corruptum a Deo reproduci jam verum insimul erit neque ipsum Deum possesses idem animal numberero (of brutis intelligo, not of EEr) cum corruptum fuerit, ad vitam revocare.

4 Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei bats ibid. n. 9 et seq., p. 157.

5 Ibid., No. 15 and seq.

6 Jbid. n. 19, p. 159.

7 Ranzane, BB. 5 April. t. 10, p. 500, n. 19: Furiis agitata, arrepto ferro,

As the famous apostle evangelized at the midday of France, a pious resident of that country offered him T hospitality, in the hope that his presence would be a source of blessing for him and his own, especially for his wife, subject to frequent insanity. As soon as the saint had entered the house, he was presented with this unfortunate. He blessed her, and, responding to his desires, he rested his hand on his head. On that day she enjoys a perfect calm, and everyone thinks she is healed. But the next day, while the man of God was going to the exercises of his ministry and the people of the house had gone out to hear him, suddenly taken over by his evil, she seized her little child, the throat, the cut into pieces, and cooked some of it for dinner, reserving the other for the evening meal.

When the preaching was over, the husband returned home with joy, and, seeing his wife coming to meet him, asked him whether the meal was served: "Everything is ready," she replied, "there is nothing left to eat.""Have you prepared fish well?""Fish and meat, good meat, and it remains for another time." He doesn't have any in my house, and you know that the Father doesn't eat any." Despicable thoughts pass through the spirit of the unhappy father; he wants to know what is true in these words. He hastily comes in, looks at the prepared dishes and those he has in store,

propriom filium, qui erat infantulus, vividavit, necatumque corpus in frusta divisit, et unam partem igni pro prandio colladam apposuit, partemque reliquam ad coenam reservavit... Volens igitur vir ejus rem investegare, perpendit ea solita insania esse agitatam, ac infantuli sui carnes esse illas quas uxor ejus is paravisse bondebat. Oritur igitur omnium cla- mor and luctus, ac præ caeteris dolens pater: "Uh! I'm miser!" Multi competitors rem gestam B. Vincentio narraverunt... Jussit sibi exhibitioni frusta in quae corpusculum fuerat a matre divisum; deinde genua flexit, etc... Protinus conjuncta sunt membra and infans mox vitae pristinae is re-established,

and, recognizing the defiled flesh of his child, ü bursts out in cries of pain, in bitter complaints, hangs on to Heaven, to the saint who so pays the price of hospitality.

Vincent, however, came in turn; he was told about the sobs, the clamours, and the tumult of the whole house. He commands the silence of the hand and the voice, and then he exclaims: "Trust in the Lord Jesus; he created this child; he himself, if you have a true faith, will call him back to life." He then gets the little body so broken up, falls on his knees, and, after a fiery prayer, he makes on these human debris the sign of the cross with this invocation: "May Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Savior and the Master of the world, who has brought the soul of this child out of nothing, bring it back into this body for the praise and glory of his adorable Majesty." At the moment, these scattered members gathered together, and the child appeared full of life. Let us judge the admiration and joy of the spectators!

We have quoted elsewhere, referring to the appearances of purgatory souls, the momentary resurrection of a man buried for three years and found in the state of skeleton in his tomb. Such examples make it disappear to the shadow of doubt about the reality of death; but, indeed, it is not necessary that the testimony of death be pushed so far to allow it to be believed and concluded at the resurrection.

V. — On the very fact of the return to life, contempts are less to be feared; however, caution is still needed here not to be deceived by Satan's human deceit or deceit. Simple movements, or even articulated words, would not be sufficient proof of the resurrection; the manifestations of life must be obvious and persist long enough.

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48: 470 sect.: god the only cause of true mystical Lens

time to ‘ rule out any suspicion of illusion, cunning or prestige. ' However, when the purpose of the reminder to life is a transitional act, as an important testimony that one wants to gather from the mouth of the dead, and even better the consul of a sacrament necessary for salvation, such as penance for an adult who died in the act of crime, or baptism for an unfaithful?; in all these and other cases, it is hard to understand that the resurrection can only be momentary. In particular, it is said of Saint Francis de Sales that, in his mission in Chablais, he gave life to a dead child without baptism, who died again two days later.

VI. — One must still place among the wonders of the first order the prolonged maintenance of life despite the suppression of an essential organ, such as the head or the heart.

Decapitation, in fact, seems to be an ever immediate cause of death: the experiments made on the bodies of the torturers do not give any probability to the thesis of the persistence of life after the head has been separated from the trunk. This view, moreover, is of little interest to our subject; for we have no example to claim where life has long survived the takeoff, and, if there were any established ones, we like to believe that our most proud unbelievers would consent to see it as a fully divine miracle. It is true that several martyr saints, whom they have spoken, walked, carried into their hands even their heads detached by the sword, are told; but we would not want to put away

1 See the example of St Stanislas of Bohemia, reported in our second volume, p. 133,

- What? Supice SÉVÈRE, from Vita S. Martini, n. 7 and 8, Migne, t. 20, col. 164, reports two such resurrections by St.Martin, one on a dead catechumene without having received baptism, the other on a servant who had hanged himself; but at least one of these two resurrected lived for a long time.

3 Hamon, Life of Saint Francis of Sales, 1. 3, ch. 1st, 4th, p. 285.

. 49 these wonders among the absolutely supernatural facts, by the reason that, taken in themselves, these temporary manifestations do not exceed the evil power.

As far as the heart is concerned, it seems to result from certain facts! that its extraction does not always have the effect of an instantaneous death; but no certain experimentation, no serious testimony, allows to maintain that life can be maintained naturally, for several days, after the total suppression of the home to which it feeds. The

-prodigies of this kind, which we have reported in our

Part two, must be considered exclusively divine. The difficulty, if there is one in these encounters, is less to establish the suraaturity of the fact than its reality.

VII. — The restitution of an organ destroys, and more importantly the survival of the function to the loss of the organ, — provided, however, that the effect is lasting; for if it were only momentary and transitory, it could be only prestigious, — still seems to us under the conditions of the miracle itself. It is said of Pope St. Leo IMI that after having had his eyes punctured and his tongue cut off, he covered his sight and his word, this fact, we know, is disputed by some and maintained by others; * assuming it is true, it constitutes a miracle of first order.

1 Zaccmras, Quæst. medical-legal. 1.5, t. 2, q. 2, n. 22, t. 1, p. 336: Quinimo scimus quod, avulso rope integro and arteriæ magnæ trunco ante avulsionem alligato, animal per aliquod temporis spatium vivre potest, ut multi ex Anatomicis oculati testes sunt, and quandoque ipse etiam vidi. Sed and Galen., 2 de Decr. Hippocr. and Platonis, multiple observatum. memory in sacrificialis victimas, avulso cord, and clamasse, and tofuss, blood donec toto efuso conciderent.

2 Chap. 31, t. 2, p. 575-583.

3 MARTYROL. Rom. 42 Jun.: Romæ, in basilica Vaticana, saneti Leonis papæ tertii, cui erutos ab impiis oculos and linguam præcisam Deusmirabiliter restituit.

z Moreri, Dici. hist., at the word Léon IJI.

Benen. XIV, De Serv, Dei Beatif. 1. 4, P. A, & 40.0. 14, p. 73: Nonnulli

The same would be true, according to the learned doctor Zacchias, of the cure of congenital deafness, either that the hearing apparatus is physically transformed, or, which would be more prodigious, that the hearing should be performed without the assistance of the organ intended to produce it.

The same must be said of all functions and organs.

The integral renewal of a lost member, as the arm, hand, leg, foot, also requires divine intervention*?, would it be a mere meeting of the detached member. Art has managed to reach, by juxtaposition of the minimal parts, a finger, for example, fleshy or cartilage fractions, and even to graft on a body fragments of flesh taken from another living body; but it does not record any fact of its domain where members proper, once fully detached, could have resumed.

These facts which one would seek vainly in the annals of art abound in those of holiness. We have narrated, in connection with the apparitions, how the Prince of the Apostles appeared to Saint Agathe in his prison, and by his presence alone, and in the name of Jesus Christ who sent him, he gave back to this glorious virgin the breasts which a barbaric judge had forced him to amputate. Among other prodigies of this kind

recentiores of hujus miraculi veritate dubitant... At Pagi junior... validissimis ostendit argumentis rem se habuisse uti ab Anastasio narratur. — Cfr. D. Paresroch, BB. 12 Jun. t. 23, p. 71-73, n. 9-20.

1 Quaest. medical-legal. 1. h4, t. 14, q. 8, n. 52, t. 4, p.281: Ubi enim impedimentum tam loquendi quam audiendi in naturali, nervorum defectu conistit, nullo modo feri potest ut quis, humana arte adjutus, vel logui vel audire ullo tempore posit; sed hoc requires absolute potentiam divinam. — Cf. Bexorr XIV, De Serv. Dei beatif... h, P.1,C. 10, n. 9, p. 75.

2 Zaccnias, Ibid. 1.5,t. 3, q. 3 p. 367: Membra proprie dicta reparari non possesse non contoveritor.

3 Part Two, c. 9, n. 3,-t-2, p. 110.

The supernatural exclusively divine š

which we could quote, mention only the one that the Mother of God performed on St.John Damascene +.

To avenge the writings published by this illustrious defender of the holy images, Emperor Leon Isaurian denounced him to the caliph of Damascus as guilty of high treason, and produced in evidence a supposed letter which he had made by miserable men. The Saracen prince ordered that the right hand of the holy doctor be cut off and exposed in the public square, and his orders were ruthlessly executed. When evening came, John obtained that his hand was brought back to him, and, drawing her close to the mutilated arm, he asked with tears, prostrated before an image of the Blessed Virgin, that the use be restored to her. As he prayed in this way, he fell asleep, and when he woke up, he found his hand fully restored.

VIII. — In the case of lesions, even in the main organs, one must not hasten to resort to the miracle to explain the persistence of life or progressive healing. Medicine? recognizes mortal wounds of their nature, but not without admitting the possibility and existence of some exceptional healings °. The most serious lesions are naturally those that reach the brain and heart; deep and substantial, they cause immediate or at least immediate death; and yet we quote

1 John the patriarch of Jerusalem, Vita S. P. N. Joann. Damasc. n. 17 and 18, Migne, t. 94, col. 455, 456: Dexteram Joannis jubet amputari... Manus justo conceditor. Qua is accepted in sacellum domesticum ingreditor, totoque corpore pronus ante divinam quamdam Dei Genitricis imaginem provolvitur, admotac dextera quae abcissa fuerat ad pristinam ejus commissuram, imo de pectore misericordissimam illam gemitibus et lacrymis interpellabat... In tibi manus sanata east.

2 Zaccuias, Quæst. medico-leg. 1. 5, t. 2, q. 2, n. 23, t. 1, p. 336.

Bexoir XIV, De Serv. Beagent dei. 1. 4, P. 1, ©. 16, n. 28 p. 109.

3 SABATHIER — DUPUYTREN, Operational Medicine, with add. and notes by Sanson and BEJN, t. 2, p. 42 (knots, p. 62; heart wounds, p. 118).

VELPEAU, Full Canat, Surgical, t, 1, p. 589.

There are many cases of this kind where life has been sustained for quite a long time, some of which have resulted in full healing. But for the heart in particular, when life lasts despite a wide and deep rupture, it is that the wound closes or that its edges, by tightening, suspend the bleeding; for if the outcome persists, the total loss of blood cannot fail to occur at short notice. Therefore, Saint Térèse! and the stigmatized? who have lived entire years with a gaping opening to the heart, seem to us to be in a case, not of natural exception, but of divine exception.

Even though an injury would not be fatal, provided it was indeed wide and deep, its instantaneous disappearance, to the point that there was no trace or at least complete healing, should be considered miraculous; for this restoration is outside the current laws of the organism, and therefore cannot be either a spontaneous effect of nature or the work of the demon, which only acts by putting the forces of nature into play.

Certainty would not be the same if it were a disease or infirmity without an organic lesion; not that the demon is able to heal them instantly by direct action, but it can be the active cause of evil, and, to pretend the miracle, he only has to suspend the evil. We will talk more along these evil tricks in a special chapter.

In summary, the full certainty of the absolute miracle, in fact of body healing, requires conditions which can be reduced to the following four: the natural impossibility of the cure in the conditions in which it is performed, its perfect reality.

1 See our Are part, ch. 46, t. 4 p. 247, note on the transverberation of the heart of Saint Teresa. 2 See Part 2,/ch.\24,n.16,\t. 2, p. 483.

+! 33 sation, its promptness and duration Naturally achievable, healing cannot be considered miraculous; incomplete, it would not attest sufficiently to the powerful intervention of God; slow and progressive, it could be imputed to the secret resources of nature; and only momentarily, it would betray rather the prestige of Satan than the restorative action of God.

IX. — In the intellectual order, the exclusively divine facts are more precise and no less numerous.

In the first place is the prophecy or prediction of a future free event independent of the will of the one who announces it. Such predictions go beyond the reach of man and the angel, of every creature?: the field of the future is God's. Who can describe in advance what will be done by free beings who do not yet exist, or even those who exist, in distant situations that steal from their own eyes? Even in the physical world where man discovers the laws through experience and induction, God retains the freedom to derogate from it by miracle, and these derogations alone have the secret,

This is, on this point, the unanimous teaching of Christian theology?.

1 Benoit XIV, De Serv. Dei beatific. To. 4 p. 1, ©. 8, n. 2, t..4, p.54: Ut sanatio a morbis et infirmitatibus inter miracula enumiratur, pura debent competition:: primum est ut morbus sit gravis, et vel impassivisis vel curatu, difficilis; secundum, ut morbus qui depellitur non sit in ultima parte statuses, ita ut non multo post declinare debeat; tertium, ut nulla fuerint adhibita medicamentai, vel, si fuerint adhibita, certum sit ea non prosuisse; quartum, ut sanatio sit soudia et momentanea; quintum, ut sanatio sit perfecta, non manca aut concisea; sextum, ut nulla notatu digna evacuatio seu crisss prædat temporibus debitis et cum causa; si enim ita accudat, tunc vero prodigiosa: sanatio dicenda non erit, sed vel ex toto vel ex parte naturalis; ultimum, ut sublatus morbus non redeat.

2 S. Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 172, a.t.: Prophetia simpliciter dicta non potest esse a natura, sed solum ex revelatione divina,

Suarez, De Relig. Tr. 3.1. 2, c. 8, n. 6, t. 13, p. 505: Futura ergo contingentia queæ ab aliena voluntate libera pendent, sive divina, sive humana,

In prophecy, one must join the discernment of the spirits who discovers in the depths of souls intimate visions, secret purposes, veiled desires, unconscious inclinations. God alone! Sees this mystery of thought discovered, and it is, in the Gospel, one of the signs of Christ's divinity? that he penetrated the depths of hearts and consciences: neither faithful angels * nor, more importantly, fallen angels, have access to these depths.

X. — All mystics still reserve to the divine action only the visions and words called intellectues, as we have said in dealing with these sublime communications.

The first alleged reason is that creatures can only act on a being by complying with the laws that govern it, and it is a law of our intellectual nature that it requires, in order to exercise itself consciously, a prior and concomitant excitation of the senses. The author of nature raises this condition at his own discretion; but he alone has this power.

A second reason, which stems from the first, is the invincible conviction where are the souls to whom these visions and intellectual words are addressed, that it is God who

sive angelica, non posunt certo and infallibilitter cognosci virtute naturali ab Angelis, ut est senticia catholica ab omnibus theologists recepta.

1 Bona, De discr. spir. ©. 6, 1.8, p. 241: Internasautem cogitationes et cordis secreta nullo exteriori judicio manifesta intelligente et pandere, opus est divini spiritus, qui solus penetrat corda hominum, and quae in ipsis latent served am revelat.

2 Suarez, De Angel. 1. 2, c. 25, n. 6 p. 232: And ex hoc ipso inferunt Hieronymus and alii sancti ostendisse Christum esse Deum; sentient ergo etiam cogitationes intellectus et judicia esse soli Deo reservata.

3 Suarez, Ibid. 5: Dicendum censeo cogitationes cordis quoad ipsos actus intellectus ita esse angelis occultas, ut illas in se and intuitive empty non-possint, nisi illis manifester.

4 S. BONAVENTURE, Sent. 1. 2, d. 8, P. 2, a. 1, q. 6, t. 2, p. 456: Conclusio: Angelus malus neque etiam bonus, potest secreta conscienceiæ nostræ scrutari, quanquam per exteriora quaedam signa ea conjicere posit.

Part Two, c. 4.

55 SURNATURE illuminates them and speaks to them. We understand without difficulty that God brings with himself the irrefutable testimony of his identity.

Under the same principle, the purely mental reminder that suspends ecstasy in the name of obedience would be an exclusively divine note, a very valuable note that allows us to verify with certainty the character of these extranatural alienations. It is true that many do not admit the absolute effectiveness of this inner command; but whether it is always effective or not, when it has its effect, it can be considered decisive.

In short, God alone can reach the depths of understanding, either to look at it or to project its light.

"Know," said Saint Bernard, summarising the affirmations and reasons of Catholic teaching on this point, "that no created spirit can by itself apply to our souls, so that without the intermediary of our body or of his own, he mixes and spreads in us, and that we become, through his participation, doctes or more doctes, good or better. No one among the heavenly spirits, no human soul is able to contain me in this way, nor am I able to contain anyone. The angels themselves do not understand one another in this way. It is therefore necessary to reserve this prerogative to the sovereign Spirit who escapes

1 In Cant. serm. 5, n. 8, p. 161: Iud autem scitote nullum creatorum spirituum per se nostris liedbus applied, ut videlicet, nullo mediante nostri followe corporis instrumento, ita nobis immisceatur vel infundatur, quo ejus participatione docti vel doctiores, vel boni sive meliores efficamur. Nullus angelorum, nulla animarum hoc modo mihi capabilis est, nullius ego capax. Nec ipsi angeli ita se alterutrum capiunt. Sequestretur proinde prærogativa hæc summo ac incircumscripto Spiritui, qui solus, cum doce angelum sive hominem scientiam, instrumentum non quarit nostræ corporeæ auris, sicut nec sibi oris. Per se indigitor, per se innotescit, purus capitur a puris. Solus nullius indiget; solus and sibi and omnibus sole omnipotenti voluntate sufficians.

- 56. 17° SECT:? God : Any limitation, which alone, when he wants to enlighten and instruct Tange or man, does not need any instrument either to — speak, or to be heard. By himself, he re-educates himself in the intimacy of being; by himself, he makes himself known; pure spirit, he penetrates the pure spirit. He alone does not need anyone but himself; only he is sufficient for himself, and by his own sovereign will he is sufficient for all and all."

XI. — In moral order, God also has his exclusive way of revealing his presence.

It is a troubled question among theologians, if the justification of the sinner is a miraculous fact. According to St Thomas!, whose feeling has generally prevailed in the School?, when the passage from sin to grace severs according to the normal course of penance, there is no miracle; but if conversion deviates, either by its suddenness or by its perfection, from the regular laws of supernatural Providence, it accuses, by this very fact, an extraordinary intervention outside the established order; and, in this regard, it falls into the notion of miracle. Between these two kinds of justification, there is probably no substantial difference, as well as Suarez's remark; the wonderful exists only in fashion.

1 Sum. 1.2, q. 113, a. 10: Tertio modo, in operabus miraculosis invenitur aliquid præter solitum: et consuetum ordinem causandi performem...; et quantum ad hoc justificatio impii quandoque est miraculosa, et quandoque no. Is enim communis and consuetus curriculum justificationis, ut Deo movente interius animam, homo convertatur ad Deum, primo quidem conversione imperfecta, ut postmodum ad perfectam deveniat... Whenoque vero tam vehementer Deus animam movet, ut statim quamdam perfectionem justitiæ asequatur: sicut leak in conversione Pauli, adhibita etiam exterius miraculosa prostratione; and ideo conversio Pauli tanquam miraculosa in Ecclesia commemoratur:

2 Benorr XIV, De Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 4, P. 4, ©. 28 n. 6 p. 204: Communis ergo and receives esse vietur senticia. i

3 Suarez, De Gratia, -- -- 7, c: 25, n. 9, t. 9, p. 305: Justificatio ergo impii etiam in illo casu raro no est miraculosa in substantia facti...; ess tamen. potest miraculosa in modo faiencedi.

37 It is agreed that among the miraculous conversions of St Matthew, the good larron, and St Paul are among those. By its perfection and its brilliance, the conversion of Marie Madeleine seems to have the same character?. In the later ages, these wonders have multiplied infinitely, and it is one of the privileges, as it is one of the

the most authentic signs of holiness, to obtain, through the

The power of prayer, this sudden and lasting reconciliation between God and the most obstinate sinners; it seems that the saints exercise an irresistible empire over God and, at their request, suspend the laws of natural order and supernatural order.

The instantaneous elevation of an ordinary virtue to heroic perfection can also be considered miraculous; for the common and regular order of supernatural Providence is that souls advance through graduated increments and initial struggles where fear dominates, the illuminations of hope and the ardour of pure love.

In the conversion itself, as in these ascensions to a prominent virtue, the note which serves as a counter-test to instantaneity and which is the indispensable confirmation of it, is perseverance in this state.

1 Benorr XIV, Ibid. 9, p. 205: Tres sunt conversions quas theologi inter miracula enumerate, conversio villicet sancti Latronis, conversio sancti Matthæi, and conversio sancti Pauli, quam celebrat Ecclesia universalis. d

2 S. FRANÇA. OF SALES, Introduction to Dev. Life, 17th P., c. 5: It is the beginning of our health to be purged from our peccant moods. Saint Paul at one time was purged with perfect purgation, as was also Saint Catherine of Gennes, Saint Magdelaine, Saint Pelagia and some others; but this kind of purgation is all miraculous and extraordinary in grace, as the resurrection of the dead in nature.

3 Benorr XIV, De Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 4, P. 1, ©. 28 n. 6 p. 204: Communis ergo et recepta esse vietur senticia, ut impii justificationatio vere and

58 4° SECT.: THE SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUTH These are in the body, intellectual and moral order, the

which, by their intrinsic character, accuse the divine intervention.

proprie miraculum sit, cum, adjuvant Dei gratia, præter ordinem consuetum fit, and in primo momento in quo est, seclusis consuetis preæceden-

tibus minus perfectis dispositionibus, perfectionem asequitur, eodemque status ad longum tempus perseverat.

Chapter III

The Common Supernatural — By What Signs It Is Known to Be Divine

To recognize among the wonders that the creature can realize those who are divine, we must resort to extrinsic signs. — All circumstances must breathe goodness and moral proprieties. — The holiness of agents recommends miracle, but is not an absolutely necessary condition. — The most certain clues are in the results. — A sure note is advancement in virtue. — Particular vertus that signal the divine action: humility, — purity, — obedience to the guide of conscience and other legitimate superiors, — fidelity to duties. — Of all these characters, it is permissible to conclude to the divine. — God cannot allow the demon to realize them completely. — Many of these cases are insoluble.

I. — The divine miracle is of two kinds: absolutely divine, i.e. unrealizable by any other than by God; these are the wonders that we come to enumerate; or relatively divine, and it is then a fact, which, taken in itself, does not exceed the natural virtue of the demon, but, in the circumstances given, is attributable only to God.

This second class of miracles is the subject of this chapter.

These facts belong to the physical order, since God alone can directly approach the sanctuary of the soul: these are supernatural healings relative to man, prolonged abstinences, sweet smells, the flow of the human body, the human body, and the human body.

Eo 4° sect.: god the only cause of true mystic

Balsamism, radiation, air ascensions, ecstasy and jubilations in what they have from the outside, body appearances and even vi-

imaginative patterns that may result from organ excitation

In short, all the same prodigies on the bodies.

To unravel here the divine., it is not enough, we understand, to consider the energy deployed, since we suppose the creature capable of reaching, by its natural forces, these proportions: it has recourse to other signs.

These signs which attest to the intervention ‘divine and exclude Satan's, are taken from the fact envisaged in himself or in his mode, of the purpose, of agents, of the results above all.

IT. — The first condition is that the fact, with all its circumstances, presents nothing but good, honest, decent, nothing that is suitable for the greatness and holiness of God. In general, what causes laughter and overexcites passions is suspicious, as also what would be vulgar, insignificant, bizarre or shock common sense. But this requires serious attention and good faith. He often encounters in truly divine manifestations peculiarities which, at first glance, seem petty, ridiculous to the unbelievers, and which are in essence touching testimonies of God's tenderness and mercy toward men. When, well and wisely examined, all the circumstances of a wonderful fact breathe: order, proprieties, holiness, God can be there.

Similarly, the prodigy that tends to good, to truth, to relief from misfortune, to the building up of souls, to the prosperity of the Church, to the glory of God, fulfils the conditions of a divine work.

Hey k

, A 7 104 1 is true that the main end and iip ii Cumeus does not appear at first glance, and that sometimes it only becomes apparent at the last end of the act or event; but, for the ordinary, the meaning and scope of the true supernatural are rapidly and clearly emerging.

.—When other circumstances are not suspicious, holiness, or at least prominent virtue of the agents of the miracle, is a great presumption in favor of its divine provenance. God has no custom of using in his supernatural concessions only men according to his heart, witnesses worthy of his truthfulness and holiness; or, if they have been so far in the abjection of sin, the divine choice will be proved by a sincere and brilliant conversion.

This is the general law, but it is not absolute. Sinners can become the instruments of divine confidences and works without reaching penance. In these cases, which constitute moral anomalies, the other signs of the divine will have to be more obvious and more indisputable.

Suarez! makes an important distinction in this regard. Or the miracle is performed without any connection with doctrine and only to help the neighbor; or it is intended to confirm a cause or belief. God sometimes realizes, albeit very rarely, the wonderful of the first kind through vicious people, less in their consideration than in rewarding the faith of those who

1 De Fide, disp. 4, S.3,:0.'10, t. 42, p. 124: Respondtur duobus modis has proud miraculum. Primum sine ullo respectu ad veritatem aliquam per illud confirmandam, sed solum ‘propter illius utilitatem, ut ad conferendam sanitatem vel quid simile. Secundo, fit miraculum in testimonium alicujus doctrinæ, ut veram esse confirms. Priori modo, verum is possesse Deum facere miracula per pravos homines, quamvis fortasse rarissime hoc contingat; and when evenit, magis is ex:fide recipientis quam ex virtute operaantis. Posteriori autem modo, proui non potest ut miracula fiat in confirmationem falsitatis, quia alias Deus cooperaretur mendacio et esset

testis ejus.

who demand and receive this benefit. But, in a miracle that would recommend error, God will never be to it; it can only be the work of the lying angel.

If there is a conflict between the authorities and miracles, God himself must decide the matter with more brilliant and peremptory manifestations. Pascal! was right when he wrote: "God owes men not to mislead them. But they would be misled if the miracle-doers announced a doctrine that did not appear visibly false to the lights of common sense, and if a greater miracle-doer had not already warned not to believe them. Thus, if there were division in the Church, and the aliens, for example, who claimed to be founded in Scripture as Catholics, would have done miracles, and not Catholics, one would have been misled.... Never in a public dispute, where the two parties say to God, to Jesus Christ, to the Church, miracles are not on the side of false Christians, and the other side without miracles. Never in the restraint of the true God, truth and religion, there has come a miracle on the side of error, not truth."

IV. — The most authentic clues of the divine supernatural are in its results.

The manifestations that come from God have the ordinary effect of inspiring fear, but a respectful fear that soon follows the gentlest tranquillity. The demon, on the contrary, dispenses joy only to lead to trouble and astonishment; and often he throws into irremediable anxiety. Saint Anthony, as St. Athanasius reports? in the life of the illustrious cenobite, pointed out this

1 Thoughts, 2nd P., c. 2, § 1, n. 362 and 364, 3rd ed, by V. ROCHER, p. 236 and 238.

2 Vita S. Antonii, n. 35-371, Migne, Patr. gr. t. 26, col. 894-898: Sanctorum quippe visio non perturbationem affert...; cum illis quippe Dominus

significant difference between heavenly visions and evil appearances. The first bring with them, he said, peace and joy, because they come from the Lord, who is our joy; and, if they first cause a tremor of respect, then they spread peace, trust and suavity into the soul. Others have quite opposite effects: fear, tumult, confusion of thoughts, uprisings of concupiscence, black sorrows, disgust of holy exercises, the horror of death; to all these signs, one recognizes the disturbing spirit. V. — The advancement in virtue and perfection is a sure and characteristic note that reveals the very author of holiness. Except for exceptions that do not invalidate the rule, divine interventions have on the souls that are favored of it, one of these three effects: conversion, acceleration or consumption. But they make certain special virtues shine with a bright shine: humility that removes man from himself, purity that frees him from the servitudes of the flesh, obedience that prevents illusions, fidelity to the duties of state, which makes these privileges contribute to the general harmony. is that nostrum gaudium is... Quod si quidam, utpote homines, bonorum visionem extimuerint, hi metum illis dilectee sua statim adimunt... Timor enim eorum non ex animi metu, sed ex présentis préæstantioris naturæ cognitione ortus est. Talis itaque is sanctorum visio. Malorum vero incursus and phantasia, cum tumultu, strepitu, sono and clamore obvenit: qualis, exempli causa, fuerit illiberalium adolescentium vel latronum tumultus. Unde exoritur animi pavor, turbatio et. confusio cogitationum, tristitia, ascetarum odium, incuria, mæror animi, cognitorum recordatio, formido mortis, ac demum concupiscentia malarum rerum, animus ad virtutem remisus, inordinati mores. Cum itaque, quibusdam conspectis, timore corripiemini, si statim timor auferatur, et ejus loco mox consequatur ineffabile gaudium, alacritas, fiducia, animi recreatio, cogitationum tranquillitas, and quaecumque alia superius dicta sunt, robur animi item and Dei amor, confidite and orate; gaudium enim and ille animæ statuses præsentis sanctitatem informat... Quod si, quibusdam apparentibus, tumultus fiat, externus strepitus, mundanus apparatus, metus mortis, and quae superius dixi,

scitote malorum esse adventum. And special item vobis indico sit: if anima timida perseveret, inimicorum is presentia.

In the case of a ral s

C64 1% sect.: god the only cause of the true mystic

Extraordinary graces that are not accompanied by deep humility must be considered false, or at least regarded as suspect. (Gerson! puts this brand in the front line to distinguish true ‘visions from those that are false. The instinctive movement, indeed, of faithful souls whom God honors with these favors, is to recognize unworthy of them, to urge to live hidden in common ways, and to take every precaution to escape the eyes of men. Saint Hildegarde? secretes his amazing revelations, and resolves to publish them only on the formal orders of heaven. Saint Catherine of Genoa * pleads with the Lord to remove ecstasy and visions, and makes unheard of efforts to avoid and prevent them. Saint Thomas de Villeneuve, unable to dominate the delights which lay assailant in pulpit and altar, renounces the ministry of the word and the celebration of holy mysteries in public. There is no need to mention names and facts;

1 Separate. verarum visionum a falsis, t.:1, col. 45: Quoad primam conditionem, si cognoveris aliquem qui per superbam curiositatem et vanam laudem, atque præsumptionem sanctitatis, cupidus sit habere revelationes insolitas, qui se dignum istis reputet, qui in talibus de se narndis gloriabundus delectetur, scito quoniam illudi meretur, ne only magnipendas si aliquam habuisse revelationem jacanter asserts: deest enim pondus humilitatis.

2 Scivias, l. 1, p. Migne, P. lat. t. 197, col, 383: Facta is vox de coelo ad me dictens: O homo fragile, and cinis cineris, and putredo putredinis, dic and scribe quae empty and audi. Sed quia timida es ad loquendum, etc.

3 BB. 45 Sept. t. 45, p. 169, m. 84-86: Tantum abest ut delectaretur ecstasibus, visionibus, aliisque favoreurbus cælestibus, ut etiam a prima ætate, quemadmodum supra dictum est, Dominum supplicater precata fuerit, ut nunquam illis donaretur... Mirabilis visu erat violentia quam sibimet inferebat Sancta ad haec impediendum... Not destit tamen illa omnem adhibere industriam ad eas obtegendum nomine vertiginum.

4 BB. 18 Sept. t. 45, p. 882, n. 27: Continuam insper patiebatur lied elevationem, tum concionando, cum Sacra faciendo, aut.officia divina recitando, ita wut tandem a concionibus prorsus vacare, and a Rei divinæ palam celebratione abstinere coactis esty sese a-gloria and sanctitatis opinione subducturus.

For, to sum it all up in two words: the humility that refuses or hides these favors is the law; the love that asks for and publishes them is the exception.

It should be noted, however, with Cardinal Bonat, that there is something else to be proud of for a revelation, and something else to be only tempted; pride is the mark of a false revelation, but not temptation, especially if it is resisted with great energy.

VI. — Love and the worship of purity are inseparable from the truly divine mystical favors. God's attraction of the Soul has the effect of separating it from fleshly affections, purifying it, and spiritualizing it. These supernatural communications are like a stealthy and anticipated view of God, and this beatitude is promised only to those who have pure heart?. Therefore, it is necessary to hear this purity, not only of chastity itself, but also of a watchful delicacy of the soul to avoid all sin. These prerogatives of divine love require, says Saint Bernard*, the purity of the soul and the holiness of the body.

The temptations to which one resists strongly, and above all heroically, do not exclude divine favors; the imports of the flesh and the suavities of the Spirit, this hell and this heaven, as Saint Gregory { expresses himself, often meet in one soul.

1 To say. spir. c. 20, n.ur, 3, p. 316: Aliud is autem superbiam ex revelatione oriri, aliud post revelationem ad eam diabolica tempte moveri; nam primum falsæ revelationis signum est, alterum nequaquam, cum ille præsertim qui ad elationem excititatur, fortiter hosti reluctatur.

2 Matth. v, 8: Beati mundo rope, quoniam ipsi Deum emptybund.

3 Incant. serm. 67, n. 8, t. 2, p. 373: Quid ista ex hac prærogativa amoris glorietur impensum sibi, repensumque vicissim a se, quis se liquido nose præsumat, nisi qui præcipua puritate lied and corporis sanctitate, in semetipso meruerit tale aliquid experiri?.

4 Moral. 1.10, c. 10, n. 47, Migne, t. 75, col. 931: Sæpe namque contingit ut ad summa jam mentem spiritus elevet, sed tamen manc importunis caro tempteibus impugnet. Cumque ad contemplanda celestia animus ducitur, objectis actionis illicitae imaginibus reverberatur. Nam carnis repentes hune

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YH. — Obedience is the surest external guarantee of divine action. It is the fruit of humility, always accompanied by self-distrust, and a mark of inspiration from above, for God loves order and does not intervene supernaturally to compromise the hierarchy that protects him. Therefore, when he visits a soul, he makes it flexible and docile, he makes it acquiesce to the orders and counsel of the superiors! And that we do not object that those who mix in teaching and driving lack more science and caution; when one is himself careful in choosing a director and is subject to his decisions, God does not allow one to be deceived, or to serve the error even to merit and spiritual advancement of a humble soul that walks in good faith and simplicity?.

This obedience first includes openness and submission to the guide of consciousness. It is a constant maxim among the masters of spiritual life that the

stimulus salciat quem extra carnem contemplationatio sancta rapiebat. Cœlum ergo simul infernusque coarctatur cum unam eamdemque mentem et sublevatio contemplationis illuminat et importunitas temptisis obscurat: ut et vieat intenendo quod appetat, et succumbendo in cogitatione toleret quod erubescat. Of celo quippe lux orritur, infernus autem tenebris possidetur. In unum ergo coelum infernusque redigitur, cum mens, quae jam lucem patriae supernæ considerat, etiam de carnis bello tenebras occultæ temptis portat. `

1 Bona, discreet. spir. ©. 8, D. V, 5, p. 249: Instinctus Dei animam docilem fait, aliorumque sensiæ et consiliis, seniorum præsertim and superiorum acquiescentem. 1

2 S. Jean Crimaque, Scala Paradisi, gr. 26 Migne, t. 88, Col. 1058: Quicumque Domini voluntatem cognoscere voluerunt, suam prius mactare seseque abnegare debuerunt, and cum fide and simplicitate excluded omni malitia, precari, and patres, fratresve cum vera humilitate, and sine ulla cordis dubitatione interrogatare, quorum consilia and responsa tanquam ab ore Dei prolata sucipienda sunt; quamvis contraria fateato fini quaerentis dicta emptyur, aut interrogati non valde religiosi sint. Deus enim no is iniquus ut animas queæ per fidem et simplicitatem alterius se consilio et judicio humiliter subjiciunt, decipi patiatur: nam etiamsi illi qui consultuntur imprudentes fuerint, est tamen ille qui per illos loquitur sine corpore nec oculis subjectus.

The common supernatural

souls favored by extraordinary graces must not hide from their directors visions, words and other supernatural impressions that they experience. Saint Térèse?, who, however, had suffered greatly from the inexperience of his confessors, never departed from this conduct and recommended her to her daughters as the sure way from which they should not depart.

It is not obligatory, nor is it expedient, to make such confidences to any priest, or even to the ordinary confessor; it is mainly in such encounters that it is appropriate and important to resort to a wise, doctious and experienced guide, should he wait a long time before finding him, provided, however, that all judgment and especially any practical resolution inspired by so-called revelations is suspended until then.

"It is necessary," said Saint John of the Cross? speaking of supernatural words, "to give knowledge of all these things to a prudent and experienced confessor or to some other doctist and discreet person to receive his advice and instructions; and then it will be his duty to regulate the conduct of those who consult him, and who must follow the con-

1 SAVING PAZ, discr.\ spirit. 115, P. 4th. B, ind. 4 and 5, t. 6 p. 674: Sicut revelationses non sunt omnibus propalandæ, ita non sunt a confessario aut magistro spiritus abscondendeæ. If enim in aliis rebus dubiis ad eum recurrimus, cur in hac, quae summæ dubietatis est, ad eum non recurramus...? Hæc raptuum et revelationum manifestitio, quae prælato aut magistro spiritus fit, ad hoc dirigitur ut ut, illa habet ab eo in omnibus dirigatur. Hæc autem directio, in eo that regendus est, credulitatem and obedientiam requires. Gredes igitur ei quem magistrum ac rectorem accepisti.

2 His Life, ch. 26: This is the most appropriate course of action; it has no danger and offers many advantages; and we women, who are strangers to science, must above all abide by it: it is to make known the whole soul motor and the graces we receive to an enlightened confessor, and to obey him. Our Lord himself has commanded me many times; I put it into practice, and I cannot without it have rest.

3 Mount Carmel, 1. 2, ch, 30, p. 137.

68 1 SECT.: GOD CAUSE SINGLE OF MYSTICAL TREASURY, which will be given to him, remaining in complete submission to the will of the director, and in complete indifference to all these communications. If you don't find a man with enough experience in these matters, you just have to get all the fruit you can, despise the rest and declare yourself to no one. We could fall into the hands of some people who, instead of building the soul, would disturb her."

It is not only to spiritual directors that obedience is due, but also to all those who exercise legitimate authority; and this is particularly true in religious communities, where superiors must govern, not after particular revelations, but in accordance with established rules. God always approves of this submission, even when it seems to upset his purposes. A remarkable example is found in the life of Blessed Marguerite-Marie Alacoque. To obey her superior, she tried to avoid the supernatural action that dominated her. Far from reciting it, Our Lord addressed to him these touching words, which she herself tells us!: "Learn that I am not offended by all these battles and oppositions which you do to me by obedience, for which I have given my life; but I want to tell you that I am the absolute master of my gifts and my creatures, and that nothing can stop me from accomplishing my purposes. That's why, not only do I want you to do what your superiors will tell you, but you will not do anything that I will order you without their consent. For I love obedience, and without it I cannot be pleased."

VII. — Finally, God, who loves order, can only inspire those whom he illuminates with his special graces the accuracy of the

1 His life written by herself, t. 2, p. 374.

69 duties of their state; and, if he calls them to a more perfect vocation, the most certain mark of the attraction it gives them will be a delicate fidelity to fulfill their present obligations, until they are freed from them. Women, above all, are subject to this point of unfortunate illusions that discredit piety and mystical favours. Many, as soon as they feel vivid impressions that bring them to God, abandon themselves unreservedly to the detriment of the duties of their condition. "No, Philothée, the devotion does not spoil anything when it is vrayed," said St Francis de Sales? to her Philothée, "but it perfects everything, and when it goes against the legitimate vocation of someone, it is undoubtedly false."

The same must be said of the wonders that seem to belong to the mystical order. When they result in disgust of the condition where Providence has placed and the charges it imposes, they must be held to be suspects. If everyone follows his instinct and sound. attraction in the practice of life, everything becomes confused, and, under the pretext of particular inspiration, we would disturb all institutes, families and the Church itself. "The Holy Spirit," said Bona?, "is assigning to the various states their limits, which must be respected. And the same

1 SCARAMELLI, Dirett. mist. tr. 3, ©. 6, n. 54, p. 166: Vi sono alcune donne, che cominciando a gustare qualche soavità in orazione di quiete, vorrebbero sempere orare, vorrebbero star sempere in Chiesa, sempere attorno ai confessionarj, transcurando in tanto quel facciende, quei lavori, e quel altre responsablenze a cui le obbliga lo stato o di maritata, o di fanciulla, o di vedova in cui si trovano. Questo è inganno manifesto: perchè la vera divozione principalemente consists in adempire le leggi di Dio, della Chiesa e gli obblighi del proprio stato.

2 Introd. to Devote Life, 1st p., c. 3.

3 De discr. spir. c. 8, n. 11, 12, p. 251: Quod si quisque suo feratur impetu ad ea quibus subtinde affectur, non plane unitas erit, sed confusio, Spiritus sanctus cuique statusi suos limites præscripsit, quos transilire nefas est... Sicut quaque arbore non alienum fructum, sed suum profert, ita clericus clericum agere debet, monachus monachum, nec unquam a proprio instituteo deflectere, nisi forte Spiritus sanctus ad altiorem perfectionem aliquem vocet.

70 4" SECT.: GOD CAUSE UNIQUE OF MYSTICAL TRUE that a tree does not produce the fruits that are proper to another, but those of its kind, so it must be of each Christian in its condition: an ecclesiastical must live as a clergyman, a religious in religious, without ever escaping from his profession, unless God calls for higher perfection."

IX. — Let us conclude from all this that a supernatural fact in relation to man, good in its end and object, worthy and suitable in its circumstances, realized by friends of God, and whose results are in favor of virtue, can and must be regarded as divine. If only one of these conditions is violated, except that of holiness in agents, the wonderful one in question cannot come from God, in whom all is goodness, holiness and majesty. Here we must apply the moral axiom: Bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu; in good, everything must be good; for evil, it is enough for one element bad.

If an act is vitiated by a single defective aspect, it cannot be questioned. Also, in the presence of a fact of which all the circumstantial ones breathe truth and dignity, whose all appearances and effects seem to contribute to the good of souls and to the glory of God, which is accomplished by honest men, especially if they are godly and holy, this fact we are invinciblely inclined to attribute to the principle of good and order. If the error were to be feared in such encounters, God would become in a way the accomplice, making the credit of his servants to mislead us, and we could tell him the word of Richard de Saint-Victor +: "Lord, if there is a mistake, it is from you that it comes to us."

X. — But there is an objection here. The demon,

1 Trinitate, 1. 1, c. 2, Migne, t. 196, Col. 891: Domine, if error is, at teipso decepti sumus.

for the evil pleasure of having his action taken for God's and thus discrediting the divine miracle, could he not satisfy the conditions that this miracle requires? Why would this deception be forbidden to him, since Saint Paul warned us that he was turning into an angel of light, in order to seduce us? And if it can happen, when will we be certain that it has not happened?

To take the act in itself, it is not impossible for the demon to give him appearances of goodness and convenience capable of inducing in error; he can also conceal the intentional purpose, to reveal it in due course. But the divine miracle requires these and other conditions, and, as we have said, it is all these conditions that assign to divine intervention its character. If the object or the end does not reveal the evil turpitudes, they will appear in the actors or in the results. How can we admit that the saints, who are the ordinary agents of the miracle, are at Satan's mercy and that he can, at his will and without their knowledge, force them to cover his prestige? How can we admit above all that the effects of grace that accompany most miraculous facts are the result of this unclean source? These effects, assuming them real and lasting, exceed the power of the demon and are completely contrary to his instincts of hatred against God and perfidy towards man.

Not only is it implausible that the evil spirit attempts this complete imitation of the divine miracle even in its results, but also, if it were possible in itself, it is repulsive that God authorizes it; then it would become impossible to decide when this wonderful work is the work of infinite goodness or the act of the tempter; and consequently, the supernatural manifestations some would reduce, from the fact that they were not the only ones who could be able to do so.

1 II Cor. xt, 14.

© the common supernatural and its signs to me

72 4° SECT.: God's SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUTH the part of God, to the exclusively own acts of his power; divine intervention could only be exercised by the miracles of the first and second order, never by the derogations of the third degree: unacceptable consequence, since, in fact, God multiplies the wonders of this kind, because they generally meet and suffice for human necessities +.

XI. — However, as these third - order miracles take place in the very field where evil virtue is exercised, we must look closely at them before we pronounce that God is the one who intervenes, and it is safer to conclude from holiness to miracle than from miracle to holiness. When facts of this nature meet in saints who, to speak of them, have proved their worth: a Francis Xavier, a Vincent of Paul, for example, there would be an inconvenience to attribute them to the demon?. But if it is a question of appreciating the virtue or mystical states of people who would recommend themselves only by these third-order wonders, caution recommends that any judgment be stopped.

In general, whenever the miracle needs to take its character from the testimony of holiness, and holiness is not obvious, the rule to follow is abstention. God often gives blessings without giving man the certainty of the supernatural intervention that produces them. It can also allow the demon to start a business, and make it fail in its course without any other result than doubt about the real cause of the sea-

1 Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 4, P. 1, c. 6, n. 11,p. 46: Pleracque in sacra Scriptura fatta vidémus non excedentia vim et facultatem Angeli boni, quae tamen inter miracula enumerator; et quia in judicio beatificationis et canonizationis passim admittedsa sunt miracula tertii generis, et quae non excedunt vires naturales Angeli, licatet excedant vires naturales naturæ visibilis.

2 See Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 4, P. 4, c. 6, n. 19, p. 46.

I'm awake. These cases are virtually insoluble.

- I'm not. I'm not. The Church gives the example of the reserve in the

Canonization trial, by dismissing, without blemish or appro-

A great number of so-called miracles. Malheu-

The human multitude is eager for a

Some are negative and others are positive: some may be wrong.

Chapter IV

The Means by Which God Effects Mystical Phenomena — I. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The two forms of the supernatural in which the mystical phenomena result are the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the gråces given for free. — The gifts of the Holy Spirit accompany the sanctifying gråce and are distinguished from the inficent virtues. — Their number, their names and their relation to the virtues. — They exist to two degrees, one ordinary, the other miraculous. — By this second aspect, each of these gifts has its share in the mystical life: — the fear, — piety, — science, — strength, — counsel, — intelligence, — wisdom. — Brief summary. — The gifts of the Holy Spirit do not rely on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. explain all the mystical facts; we still have to resort to the free-of-charge gråces,

I. — As we said on the first pages of this book, and we have often repeated, mystical phenomena belong to the order of grace, not by ordinary and common conditions, — if so, these wonders would meet in all sanctified ones, which was not licu, — but by the exception of miracle.

The two forms of grace to which they are generally attributed are the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the graces which are said to be given free of charge, gratiæ gratis datæ.

Let us specify the characters of these two surna-

Is the means: the gifts of the Holy Spirit

In this context, the European Union has a strong role to play in the development of the European Union's economic and social cohesion.

Tickle.

This chapter deals with the gifts of Saimielişpeit.

I. — The Holy Spirit is in us the invisible operator of sanctification, but his action can be considered in various aspects. The main and fundamental form constitutes the usual grace, which brings into the soul the three adorable persons of the Trinity to be the principle and object of a new and divine life: association now hidden and mysterious, whose clear sight will make to heaven our beatitude.

The inner sanctification, by extending itself to the natural powers to subject them to reason, makes the infuse virtues germinate there; and, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it creates in us new skills in relation to the supernatural principle that makes us act.

Infuse virtues do not exert immediate influence on the wonders of supernatural order; we will only talk about them to indicate their relationship and differences with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For this last form of grace, which is the ordinary way by which Diew raises the soul to contemplation, and which is sufficient to explain most of the intimate facts of mystical life, it belongs to us rightfully.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural dispositions and as new faculties that the Holy Spirit {had to the Sancüified soul to make it flexible and docile to his

1 Trinity, Sum. theol. myst. P. 2, t. 3,€.1, a. 2, t. 2, p. 289: Causa effectives contemplationis infusæ est Spiritus sanctus cum suis donis, et intellectus creatus talibus donis illustatus... Intellectus autem creatús ad supernaturalem Dei contemplationem independenter a donis Spiritus sancti non concurrit, imo prius necesse est quod prædicta recipiat dona quibus ad concurrendem elevtur. Unde solum restat dicendum quod intellectus creatus per haec dona potens effectiveur ad Deum sic contemplandum.

divine impulses +. Many theologians? do not distinguish these gifts from infuse virtues; but the contrary feeling, represented by St.Thomas ê, is common and more probable +. Both of these two forms of grace come from the Holy Spirit, and as such, according to Suarez ë's remark, can be called his gifts; yet they are two different aspects of supernatural life. The virtues harmonize with reason, and the gifts submit to God; and, as the Angelic Doctor teaches, ‘ man can only receive moral guidance from these two principles, one intrinsic, the other extrinsic: Reason and God.

The theologal virtues whose immediate object is the end of being, who is God, prevail in perfection over the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are only means to lead to this end. But the divine impulse, being superior to that which comes from reason, must by this very

1 S. Tuomas, Sum. 1.2, q. 68, a. 4: Dona sunt quidam habitus perficientes hominem ad hoc quod prompte sequatur instinctum Spiritus sancti sicut virtutes morals perficiunt vires appetitivas ad obediendum rationi.

2 Hagert, from Gratia, $3, q. 3, Migne, curs. theol. t. 40, col. 4456: Controversia is in Schola num dona sint habitus a virtutibus distincti. Negant Scotus and alii non pauci, contensive esse actus eximios virtutum infusarum. Sanctus vero Thomas, 1.2, q. 68, and alii communiter, quibus subseribimus, docent dona esse habitus a virtutibus distinctos.

3 Sum. 1.2, q. 68, to. 1.

4 Suarez, from Gratia, I. 2, ©. 17, n. 9, p. 672: Nihilominus communior senticia theologorum haec dona a virtutibus distinguishit...; magis consentaneum est Scripturæ, ac proinde probabilius hos actus esse distinctos.

5 Ibid, No. 1, p. 669: Quamvis enim omnia bona quae nobis a Deo communicantur, quatenés ab amore ipsius process, qui Spiritui sancto appropriatur, posint late vocari Spiritus sancti dona, and specialius ea quae ad gratiam relevant and ad saluteem æternam conductunt; specialissime vero appropriatum est a theologis hoc nomen quibusdam supernaturalibus perfectionibus quae justis a Spiritu sancto dantur.

6 Sum. 1.2, q. 68, a. 4: Is enim considerrandum quod in homine is duplex principalium movens: unum quidem interius, quod est ratio; alius autem exterius, quod est Deus.

7S. Tuomas, ibid. a. 8: Virtutes theologicæ præferuntur donis Spiritus sancti, and regulating ea.

THE MEANS: THE DONATIONS OF THE SAINT-ESPIRIT 77 determine more perfect acts; which raises gifts above moral virtues and establishes between them a double difference. By virtues, man walks in the ordinary ways drawn by reason, while the gifts themselves push him into superhuman and heroic acts; secondly, gifts substitute special excitations for free acts which reason cannot determine.

"The whole observation of the commandmen of God," said St Francis de Salest, "is not in the enclosure of human forces; but it is in the confines of the instinct of the spirit, as very conforming to reason and natural light; so that, vivans according to the commandmen of God, we are not for this out of our natural inclination." The permanent grace that helps our natural inclinations to the good is the infuse virtues.

"But in addition to the divine commands," adds the loving doctor, "there are heavenly inspirations for the exequation from which we must not only be raised by God above our forces, but also that he pulls us above the instincts and inclinations of our nature; especially since these inspirations are not contrary to human reason, they nevertheless exceed, overcome, and are above it, so that when we live not only a civil, honest and Christian life, but a superhuman, spiritual, devout and ecstatic life, that is, a life that is, a life that is devout and ecstatic. a life that is in any case outside and above our natural condition." — These heavenly inspirations that draw us from our instincts and raise us to a superhuman life are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

III. — Isaiah? lists the gifts of the Holy Spirit in these

1 Treaty of Vamour of God, 1. 7 c. 6. 2 Is. x1, 2 and 3: And require this super eum spiritus Domini; spiritus sa-

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-> 78 1% sect.: god the only cause of the true mystic

prophetic words about the Messiah or the Savior Jesus, who

will receive the fullness! of grace to spread it in streams upon our souls. " The Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness; he will be filled with the spirit of the fear of Jehovah. "

The theologians stick to this enumeration and strive to show that it has its foundation in the prophet's very words, in the tradition and analogy of natural virtues °.

St. Thomas? puts these seven gifts into two general categories, one of which is knowledge and the other is action.

Knowledge has a dual purpose: to grasp the truth through intuition and to appreciate it through judgment, and in either case, it has in mind speculation or practice. The gift of intelligence responds to the theoretical apprehension of the things of faith, the one of counsel looks at implementation. The gift of wisdom makes the divine truth taste in itself; the gift of science considers it applied to the created world.

pientiæ and intellectus, spiritus consilii and fortitudinis, spiritus scientiæ and pietatis; and renalebit eum spiritus timoris Domini.

1 Joann. x, 16.

2 Hasert, de Gratia, § 3, g. 5, Migne, curs. theol. t. 10, Col. 1157: Quomodo probatur septenarius ille donorum numerus? — R. Probatur 40 ipsa Prophetæ enumeratione; 2° auctoritate sanctorum Patrum..., consensu theologorum and totius Ecclesiae, quae illum numerum hectenus retinuit...; 3° probatur ratione, etc. 4

3 Sum. 1.2, q. 68, a. 4: In omnibus viribus hominis, quae posunt esse principalia humanorum actum, sicut sunt virtutes, ita etiam sunt dona, scilicet in ratione and in vi appetitiva. Ratio autem is speculativa and practica; and in utraque consideratur apprehensio veritatis, quaæ pertinet ad inventionem and judicium de veritate. Ad apprehensionem igitur veritatis perficitur speculativa ratio per intellectum, practica vero per consilium. Ad recte autem judicandum speculativa quidem per sapientiam, practica vero per scientiam perficitur. Appetitiva autem virtus, in his quidem quae sunt ad alterum, perficitur per pietatem; in his quae sunt ad seipsum, perficitur per fortitudinum contra timorem periculorum, contra concupiscentiam vero inordinatam delectabilium per timorem.

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In action, the creature must conform to Yorin by overcoming obstacles. The gift of piety rules the duties of righteousness vis-à-vis God and neighbor; the gift of strength banishes the fear of difficulties, and the fear triumphs over false pleasures that turn away from the true good.

Thus we see the relationship between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and Christian virtues. Charity is the bond and principle of gifts! and virtues; but the gifts of wisdom and piety' fit him above all others. The hope that looks at God as the last end is saved by the gift of fear that weeps of all that is not the supreme good. Faith, which adheres to God, sovereign truth, is enlightened by Ron's gift

Besides the theologal virtues, which form an order? apart, there are seven virtues: four called intellectuals, who direct the mind in the knowledge of the good, namely: intelligence, wisdom, science and prudence; three who

1 S. Tuomas, ibid. a. 5: Dona Spiritus sancti connectuntur sibi device in charity.

2 S. Tuomas, 2.2, q. 24, a. 8: Per charitatem ordinantur actus omnium alarum virtutum ad ultimate finem, et secundum hoc ipsa dat foram actibus omnium aliarum virtutum; and Eu tanto dictur esse forma virtutum.

3 Benoir XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 3, 0. 2, 3, n. 95,t. 3 p. 154: Dono Sapientiæ, quod, utpote præstantissimum, respondet charitati virtutum nobilissimæ.

4 WANT Paz, from Natura contemplative. l. 5, P. 2, c. 4, t. 6 p. 504: Isto dono anima in contemplatione posita non tantum erga Deum. affectional dulcedinis induced, verum etiam erga proximos præ compassione liquescit.

5 S. Tuomas, 2.2, q. 19, a.. 9, ad 4: Timor filialis et spes sibi invicem coharent et se invicem perficiunt.

6 De Septem donis Spir. sancti, P. 2, Sec. 6, c. 3. Inter S. BONAVENT. Opera t. 7 p. 628: Cum veritates necessariæ ad salutem sint nobis absconditae..., planum est quod necesse fuchet ut Spiritus sanctus intellectui humano supperadderet aliquod lumen supernaturale, quo velamina dictaraum veritatum penetraret et veritates absconditas apprehenderet, et eas sic nobis manifeste. Quod utigue Spiritus sanctus fait, dum nobis donum intellectus inspirat.

!.: 80. 4% sect.: god cause the true mystic

regulate the will, and for this strictly qualified as moral virtues, i.e.: justice, strength and temperance. To the first four are gifts of wisdom, intelligence, science and counsel; to the other three are gifts of piety, strength and fear +.

To sum up in two words the relationship of gifts with virtues, let us say that they raise up to heroic acts the virtues that answer them, and substitute them for the magnanimous resolutions that reason does not command.

IV. — Their role in mystical life would not be understood if two degrees were not distinguished: one ordinary, where these gifts are granted in a common measure, the other exceptional, where they are spread with miraculous profusion.

The mystical facts obviously belong to the second category. If all those who receive these gifts with sanctifying grace do not reach the second degree, it is because the full development of these supernatural habits requires present graces? that God dispenses at his will, and that do not enter into the common order of sanctification.

V.—All the authors agree that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are the efficient cause of contemplation, all of which are

1 HaserT, ibid. q. Six, pass. 4157: Dona ex dictis idem cum virtutibus habent objectum materiale, sed disponunt ad actus sublimiores circa illud eliciendos. Ergo tot admintenda sunt dona quot virtute numerant. Atqui, præter virtutes theologicas quas præsupponunt dona tanquam sui radices, septem numeur virtutes, quatet intellectual quartet, quae disponunt ad actus bonos, scilicet intelligentia, sapientia, scientia and prudentia; tres in voluntate, nimirum justitia, fortitudo and temperantia. Ergo totidem admitteda sunt dona ejusmodi virtutes perficientia.

2 SCARAMELLI, Dirett. mist. tr. 1. c: 6, n. 61, p. 25: Con la grazia santificante se infondono dallo Spirito divino i doni abituali, ma non già gli attuali; si dona una qualitéà spirituale che dispone l'intelletto e la volontà alla contemplazione ver ogni caso che Iddio voglia innalzare le debt potenze a qualche atto sublime, ma non semper Iddio di fatto le innalza per suoi giustissimi fini,

EC L L AE T Font r Y RTF TS Ah D

AN E e # A?

The means: the gifts of the holy priest &

the times. that the inner grace accompanies him. Eadmer, a disciple of Saint Anselm, whose doctrine he reproduces especially in his book of the Simrrupes, says ‘the five lower gifts are destined for active life, and the last two, namely, the gifts of intelligence and wisdom, to contemplative life, to crown the spiritual edifice. Saint Bonaventure*, or rather the author of a treatise on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit attributed by a great number to the seraphic doctor, the pious Gerson ë and the learned pontiff Benedict XIV*, also assign the gifts of intelligence and wisdom as the two principles generating contemplation. Fr. Scaramelli strives to justify this assertion by the details, and to show that all forms of passive prayer, ecstasy, words and supernatural visions find their explanation in the first gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Without contesting absolutely that most of the relevant facts

1 S.A.L. Anselmi similitudinibus, ©. 132, Migne, t. 159, Col. 681: Hæc autem quinque Spiritus sancti dona ad activam, duo vero quae seguuntur, id est intellectus et sapientia, ad contemplativam pertinent vitam. Ipsa tamen Spiritus sanctus primis quinque superimponit, ut suorum ædificium donorum posit omnino completeri.

2 De Septem donis Sp. sancti, P. 1,c. 2, t. 7 p. 587: Sunt enim septem dona propter septem expeditiones hominis, tam in vita activa quam in vita contemplativa necessaria. Nam Anselmus dicit quod quinque dona inferiora respiciunt vitam activam, and duo alia respiciant vitam contemplativam.

3 Compendium theologiae, Tr. 6 of seven. donis Spir. sancti, t. Four, collar. 309: Duo autem prima digniora sunt queæ regunt vitam contemplativam, scilicet sapientia and intellectus; aka autem quinque sufficienter regunt vitam activam.

4 Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 3, c. 26, n. 7 p. 186: Donum quippe intellectus et donum sapientiæ sunt dona Spiritus sancti...; utrumque competes ad hanc contemplationem (infusam) et fait ut objectum a Deo revelatum

- clarius cognoscatur, and suavius ac dulcius ametur.

- 5 Diret. Tr. 2, c. 44, n. 148, p. 102: Mi pare dunque che alla for-的 mazione di qualonque grado di contemplazione, anche d'estasi, di ratti, di locuzioni e visioni posa bastare il dono della sapienza e dell-intelletto, e che però non sia necessario ricorrere alla luce delle grazie gratisdate.

to contemplation does not receive sufficient interpretation by resorting only to the gifts of wisdom and intelligence carried up to the miracle, it seems to us that the mystical life, envisaged as a whole, is more easily understood and enlightened by a greater light if one makes a share to each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: doctrine very conforming to what Saint Thomas teaches "on the perseverance of gifts in the homeland of heaven where all will be contemplation, and expressly supported by Alvarez de Paz°, one of the most famous and safest masters of spiritual life.

In order to be convinced moreover of the relationship between the different gifts of the Holy Spirit and mystical elevations, it is only necessary to consider the purpose achieved and the effects achieved by each of these gifts.

VI. — The first, by ascending the order and enumeration of the prophet, is the gift of fear. It consists of a reverential feeling and filial respect for God's greatness, which lead to refraining from anything that is likely to provoke his indignation.

At the beginning of virtue, this gift moves away from sin and makes

1 Sum. 1.2, q. 68, a. 6, ad 3: Opera enim activæ vitae non erunt materia donorum, sed omnia habebund actus suos circa ea quae relevant ad vitam contemplativam, quae est vita beata.

2 Of natura contemplating. 1. 5, P. 2, ©. 4, t.6, p. 500: Horum donorum quaedam emptyur ad contemplationem, ut sapientia, intellectus, consilium, scientia; quaedam, ut fortitudo, pietas and timor, ad actionem pertinere. Quia vero nomine actionis non solum intelliguntur opera exteriora, verum et affectionus interni voluntatis, et quia contemplatatio non se continet in intellectu, ut dictum est, sed transit ad affectionum: hinc est quod omnia dona, nunc unam, nunc aliud seorsum, nunc aliqua simul ad eam concurrunt, causæque sunt actus contemplationis. And nunc quid singula dona fasciant, and in Quo fidem perficient, and quomodo contemplatantem attollant, exponendum est.

3 S. AUGUSTIN, sir. 347, from Timore Dei, n. 2, p. 275: Isaias etiam propheta cum septem illa notissima dona spritalia commendaret, incipiens a sapientia pervenit ad timorem Dei, tanquam de sublimi descendens ad nos, ut nos doceret ascendere.

THE MEANS: THE DONATIONS OF THE SAINT-ESPRIT- 83 courageously fight against passions and gross vices. But love cleanses fear, and brings it, through successive progressions, to an extreme horror of all that displeases God; it goes so far as to cast into mortal terror and a sort of destruction, in the sight of God irritated, loving and trembling soul; without ceasing to believe in his mercy, she feels terrified and overwhelmed by the appearance of his majesty and justice. Under the guild of this fear which is born of charity and owes him all his terrors, the soul fears less the punishment of sin than the very sin; hell seems infinitely preferable to him, and she would rather sink therein for ever than commit the lightest offense of God.

It is understandable that such a fear has and raises the soul to contemplation!: it is she who realizes the passive purifications that precede the contemplative suspension and form its prelude.

VIT. — Piousness measures and tempers fear. It makes adhere and obey God with the joic and docility of a child.

Reached to a high degree, it inspires love towards God all the impulses, all the abandonments, all the industries; it makes springs of tears and tenderness spring up, communicates previously unknown facilities of expression, makes capable of all the devotions; in a word, with the sweet rays of piety, the soul drunk before God with a delicious suavity, and feels for the neighbor the most generous compassion?. Who does not recognize these signs as the cause

1 WANT Paz, of contemplative natura. 1.5, P. 2.0. 4, t. 6 p. 504: Imprimit etiam castam quamdam erubescentiam in conspectu Dei, præsertim si mens in aliquo deficiate et inclinat ad despicientiam sui ipsius... Timor hic sanctus rejicit omnem timerem servilem of death, judicio, inferno.

2 , ibid., p. 503: Donum pietatis voluntatem exornate. Is autem spiritualis quaedam devotio and promptitudo ad omnia Dei obsequia,

A let her frame a th jo ated nt se ra ada e au d ae m aoc

Fes AA LRU Mb Let To

of the drunkenness and the transports that accompany contemplation? T

VII. — The gift of science complements the two preceding ones, learning to rise up to God by means of creatures, to avoid what offends him, to realize what pleases him. This illumination is general and looks rather at knowledge than conduct; it is the gift of counsel that guides the soul in particular and practical determinations!.

The ordinary lights of the gift of science do not exceed the common necessities of Christian life. But by-i times it extends further: it opens the eye of the soul to the world $. creatures, discovering their intimate properties, the hidden relationships that connect them with each other and with the primary cause, the analogies of nature with the world of faith; thus giving strange facilities of deduction to demonstrate supernatural truths, and, from the spectacle of variations and limits of created things, leading to the contemplation of pure and simple truth?.

IX. — Force reduces the visions of lintelli-jence into action. As a gift of the Holy Spirit, it also includes two degrees. First, it overcomes the difficulties that do not come out of the common providential order.

and affectionuosus impulsus ad auxiliandum proximis. Hæc ex amore Deo gra- y% tias agit, eum laudat atque magnificat... Isto dono anima in contemplatione posita non tantum erga Deum affectionum dulcedinis induced, verum erga proximum præ compassione liquecit. l

1 S. Tuomas, Sum. 1.2, q.8,a. 6: Quantum vero ad applicationem ad singularia opera, pertinet ad donum consilii.

2 P. Surin, Dialog. spir. t. 2.1. 5, c. 4 p. 271: It must be known that there are two ways of knowing the things that present themselves to the senses and minds: one natural by the penetration of understanding alone, the other by a light of grace, which raises the mind above its natural forces, and makes it see things in God, who is their source... First of all, she enters into the mind of man, and astonishes her by her greatness; but when she is established there, she makes it natural, and the use of it becomes common. Thus it gives to those who possess it sublime instructions on everything that appears in their eyes. A flower, a fly, the least objects raise them up to God and ignite them with his love.

THE MEANS: THE DONATIONS OF THE SAINT-ESPIRIT 85 In the second, she dips the soul for the extraordinary battles, she makes him despise the beginnings of the voluptuous, the

temptations of all kinds, to stand in the clearing

It finally gives him sufficient energy to faithfully endure the trials that prepare for passive prayer, and to sustain the ecstatic excesses of this divine attraction!

X. — The council shall regulate and protect the exercise of force. The role of the Holy Spirit's gift is to supplement natural prudence in the perplexities of sanctification that it cannot solve. The resolutions that seem to contradict the human meaning and breathe divine wisdom are the highest forms of this supernatural gift, and it is through these heavenly impulses that many saints explain the resolutions and eccentricities that the world treats as folly?.

XI. — The gift of understanding reveals the meaning of divine things, and makes a piercing look to the soul that allows it to probe the mysteries of faith, without tearing its veils.

These intuitions may not go beyond the limits of

1 WATCH PAZ, ibid., p. 502: Respectu autem contemplationis, donum fortitudinis id fait ut homo superet omnia peccata et universes temptées, et omnia inferiora contomnat, et virtutum ornamenta custodiat; ut se ad sustinendam omnem tribulationem, afflictionem et adversitatem propter Christum offerat; ut robur ad patiendos excessus mentales, ut ecstases, raptus et alia hujus generis, in quibus non parum est difficultatitis, habeat; ut denique haec et omnem consolationem, et sensibilem gratiam, et donorum quantumvis excellentium venantem transcendtant, et in nullo istorum, nisi in solo Deo pure et nude conquiescat.

2 Suarez, de Gralia, l. 2, ©. 21 n. 6-8, 7-7, p. 689: Hoc consilium Spiritus sancti... different tamen ab aliis judiciis practice practice practices, in regulation and principio cui nititur, quia fundatur solum in instinctu Spiritus sancti, qui sæpe est præter ordinarias regulas tam supernaturales quam naturales... Manifestum fit interdum profii virtute et instinctu Spiritus sancti, ut homo interius judicet practice esse aliquid faciendum quod secundum commons leges non esset faciendum, and nihilominus tale judicium practice verum ac rectum sit.

the fullness of the Christian faith; but they make shine in the soul on the radiant day of contemplation!. "By this gift, says the author of the treatise attributed to Saint Bonaventure, the Holy Spirit lifts up the veils of the divine Scriptures?; that he makes penetrate, not only the mysteries of the incarnate truth, but the very depths of the uncreated truth?; that, in revelations and burnings, he fills the soul with the fires and light of the south, that he brings it to the delicious sleep and rest of Pextase."*

XII. — Saint Bernard ë defines wisdom as the flavor of good. This gift, in fact, is a supernatural taste that makes God and eternal things savor and makes insipid, on the contrary, all that is earthly and transitory; it makes adhere by love to the intimate visions of the supernatural and divine world, the source of all that bursts out of good, pure and holy in the region of creatures, in the double perspective of nature and grace ê.

1 De septem donis Spiritus sancti, P.1, c. 4, (Op. S. BONAVENT), t. 7 p. 690: Donum intellectus lied domum contemplatione illuminate.

2 Ibid., P.C. 2, c. 4 p. 630: Sed Spiritus sanctus per donum intellectus fait nos penetrare omnia velamina occultantia nobis veritates Scripturarum necessarias nobis ad salutem.

3 Ibid. Item Spiritus sanctus, per donum intellectus, non solum fait nos penetrare omnia velamina veritatis incarnatæ, sed et veritatis increatæ.

4 Ibid. c. 6 p. 632: Post mane hujus diei luminosæ, horæ meridianæ claritas fervida oritur in mente ex dono intellectus, quod pariter illuminat et inflammat in sacra Scriptura ad modum horæ meridianæ... Post horam claræ et fervidæ meridiei, hora vespertina succedit, in qua labor quotidianus terminatur, somnus contemplationis inchoatur, deliciæ nocturnales celebrantur.

5 Serm. 85 n.a. 8, p. 432: Nec duxerim reprehendendum si quis sapientiam sapientiam boni difliniat.

6 WANT PAZ, of contemplative natura. 1:3, P. 2, 04; t. 6 p. 500: Sapientia quae is primum Spiritus sancti donum, confert intellectui cognitionem altissimam and simplcissimam Dei, and rerum divinarum and caelestium, ac earum quibus ad omnem sanctitatem promotemur, cum quadam mirabili suavitate, sapore atque dulcedin. Neque tam dulce is mel and saccharum palato carnis quam dulcis is divina veritas, ratione hujus doni, palato lied... Ita dum in nocte hujus vitae ante lucernam fidei in corde justi sa-

Contemplation, where the soul ceases to belong to one another in order to lose itself in God, is the culmination and regular extension of this gift. It produces in the soul the holy drunkenness and the sweet sleep of ecstasy. It is the bread, the wine which wisdom itself offers to the fools, whom she invites, to make them wise, to the feast of her love: "Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine that I have prepared for you!" and several authors? see in this gift the effective cause of mystical theology or contemplation, although the common feeling joins him for this elevation sublime the gift of intelligence. To consider only the light that inundates the contemplative soul and the charm that subjugates it, these two forms of grace without difficulty explain one and the other; but this is only one aspect, the principal, it is true, of mystical life; there are others to which this interpretation would not suffice.

XII. — To sum up in a quick picture the part which belongs to the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, we would attribute to the gift of fear the holy fears which cleanse the soul and dispose it to contemplation;

To the gift of piety, the violence of love that consumes passive purification and also sadness, loving compassion, tears, joyful braiding, these wonderful facilities to express through speech, song, music, poetry, painting, everything that rejoices, transports and intoxicates;

To the gift of counsel, these boldnesses that confuse the prudence of the flesh, these solutions that disconcerte human calculations, these holy extravagances that make you laugh or groan

pientia accrediteur, res fidei multo clarius manifesteur. Sapor vero and dulcedo nascitur ex caritate cui conjuncta is sapientia.

1 Prov. 1x, 5.

2 See J. Lopez EzquerrA, Lucern. myst., Tr. 3. C. 6, n. 56, p. 51.—JEAN OF Jesus Mary, Tract. de theolog. myst. schola de Orat, contemplation. dub. 4, t.2, p. 607.

88 1" SECT.: THE SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUTH JES Sages worldly; the conduct of these martyrs who have rushed into the flames or into the waters out of impatience to die for Jesus Christ or to escape the peril of losing their virtue, of Samson burying himself with the Philistines under the ruins of their temple, of Saint Simeon Stylite, of Christine the Admirable, of Blessed Labre, and of so many other saints who have confused human wisdom with the strangeness of their lives;

To the gift of strength, the heroism that bursts into the martyrs of the body the martyrs of the soul, the mockery and the serenity of a Vincent, a Laurent, a Pionius in torture; the immortal cry of Job at the height of his distress: "He would give me the stroke of death that I would still hope in him"; these gleams of love no less sublime for the cross and the divine Crucified: of Teresus: "Or suffer or die"; de Marie-Madeleine de Pazzi: "Suffer and not die"; of John of the Cross: "Suffer and be despised for you, Lord"; the superb challenges of Saint Gutlac, Saint Anthony and so many other athletes of Christ with the infernal legions.

To the gifts of science and intelligence, we would report the ease of seeing God in creatures, infidel knowledge, the prodigious abilities to learn and understand as through a kind of intuition, the intelligence of mysteries, visions and imaginary or intellectual words;

Finally, in the dm of wisdom, the adhesion of the soul from passive recollection and quietness to union, ecstasy and spiritual covenant.

We see it, each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and its share in mystical life.

XIV. — However, these gifts are not enough to explain the mystical facts, for two reasons.

First, because a number of these facts

This interpretation, such as stigmas, mystical diseases, translations and bilocations, abstinences, perfumes, liquors, radiation, the transformation of senses, the freeing of external servitudes, the empire over nature and man, is beyond the scope of this interpretation.

Secondly, because the contemplation itself, and more certainly the visions, the words, the delights, the infusion of science and art, in a word, most of these favors, — we expressly exclude that of union, — do not strictly assume the sanctifying grace * in the subject that receives them; and when these wonders are not accompanied by righteousness, they cannot emanate from the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are themselves only an emanation and an extension of inner holiness.

Another divine process must therefore be used that realizes the miraculous facts without assuming or producing sanctification by itself. This principle independent of holiness exists and bears in the school the name of graces freely given, free of charge. To complete the interpretation of mystical phenomena, we must make known these kinds of graces.

This will be the subject of the next chapter.

1 WANT Paz, nat. contemplative. 1. 5, P.9, C. 4, t. 6 p. 504: Certum no is contemplationem, quantumvis sublimem, imo quae usque ad ecstasy and raptus procedat, a caritate and bonis dimanare. Potest enim oriri ab aliqua gratia gratis data, quae reduceur ad donum prophetie.

Chapter V

The Means by Which God Effects Mystical Phenomena — II. The Gratuitously Given Graces

— The nine graces indicated by St.Paul. — Classification after St.Thomas and Suarez. — The graces of wisdom and science; in what way they differ from the gifts of the Holy Spirit which bear the same names. — Faith. — The grace of healings. — The operation of wonders. — The prophecy and discernment of spirits. — The gift of tongues. — The gift of interpretation. — Some of these graces are given to each other. — The graces of graces of graces of grace in general. — The righteous are the ordinary subjects of these graces; but they also meet, though rarely, in sinners. — The role in the mystic of graces given free of charge. — In principle, we can distinguish as many species as there are groups of facts of a common nature. — A brief summary of the divine processes to which mystical phenomena relate.

I. — Graces are diverse, but all come from the Holy Spirit as a single source, and can be called his gifts? Similarly, any supernatural gift emanates from divine liberality, and would be properly designated as free grace. However, for

1 I Cor., xn, 4: Divisiones vero gratiarum sunt, idem autem Spiritus. 2 CORNELIUS A LAP., in I Cor., xi, 4: Apte Apostolus gratias seu dona tribvit Spiritui sancto ceu fonti bonitatis.

to express the different aspects of divine operation on souls and to distinguish them among themselves, to be limited to some of the appellations which, taken in themselves, would also suit all others.

The most general division derives from the end to which these divine concessions tend; and, in this regard, theologians distinguish two kinds of graces: one is destined to unite with God the soul who receives it, and, for this reason, is described as grace which makes it pleasant, gratia gratum faciens; it embraces three aspects: sanctifying grace, infuse virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The other has as direct object the spiritual utility of the neighbor, and takes the name of grace given for free, gratia gratis data, no doubt because it is outside the natural power and merit of the subject who carries it +.

This last category includes a whole set of heavenly favours whose usefulness for the next one is all the less apparent, as one recommends to hide them carefully from any other than the director of consciousness, as are supernatural visions and words, ecstases, stigmas, and in general most mystical states?. The reason for this is that these kinds of graces almost always have a salutary radiance outside, and that many nevertheless do not seem absolutely inseparable from inner holiness.

l S. Taowas, Sum. 1.2, q. 111, a. 1: Duplex est gratia: una quidem per quam ipse homo Deo conjungitur, quae vocatur gratia gratum faciens; alia vero per quam unus homo cooperatur alteri ad hoc quod ad Deum reducatur; hujusmodiautem donum vocatur gratia gratis data, quia supra facultatem naturæ et supra meritum personæ homini conceditur.

2 J. Lopez EZQUERRA, Luc. Myst. Tr. 4,c. 1, n. 6 p. 55: Aliæ communiter vocantur gratiæ gratis datæ, quae non ad proximi utilitatem, sed ad propriom animæ recipientis salutem diriguntur, et lato modo gratiæ gratis datæ dicuntur, quia nimirum sunt beneficia gratis a Domino concessa...; et hujus generis sunt visiones, revelations, raptus, ecstases, et his similia, quae nullus negare potrit quod excedant naturæ facultatem.

Í to be established

IL. — Precisely because they do not themselves carry sanctification, the graces freely given are common to the righteous and sinners, and are addressed less to the will to put it into effect, than to the mind to bring it light and ease.

However, in divine thought, the grace that sanctifies does not exclude, we understand, the benefit of edification, and free graces, though destined for the benefit of the neighbor, must nevertheless benefit those who are the providers of it?

Even more, although these two graces are designed one without the other, the second is rarely separated from the first. The sanctifying grace, it is true, usually survives without the graces given for free, God having not wanted to attach these miraculous gifts to holiness, for fear, says St Augustine °, that human infirmity did not make more case than good works that merit us eternal life. But if the opposite can take place, know, that the graces given free of charge meet in a soul without justice, it is never only the exception 的. So one can be holy without enjoying in any way the

1 Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 4, n. 8 and 10, t. 7 p. 145: Gratiæ gratis datæ communes sunt peccatoribus et justis, gratia vero gratum faciens proprio est justorum... Opera spectantia ad gratias gratis datas not relevant per se ad voluntatem, nec illius rectitudinem postulant, and ideo non pendent ex se a gratia gratum faiente.

2 Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, ©. 4, n. 7.t. 7 p. 144: Addendum vero est gratiam gratum faientem ita dari in bonum recipientis, ut possit etiam et debeat in aliorum utilitatem redundare et exercici: et e converso gratiæ gratis datæ, licet ad aliorum utilitatem dentur, nihilominus qui eas

Recipit potest and debet, per earum usum, propriom spiritualem utilitatem and profectum procurare.

3 Various. quaest., 83, q. 79, p. 129: Non omnibus sanctis ista tributuntur, ne perniciosissimo errore decipiantur infirmi, existimantes in talibus fatis majora dona esse, quam in operabus justitiæ, quibus æterna vita compartatur.

Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 4, n. 41, p. 446: Licet Deus secreto consilio interdum per hominem hypocritam miraculum faciat vel extraordinarium beneficium concedat, id rarum est; ordinarie vero non nisi per justos et bonos talia signa operatur.

The average

privilege of free graces given; it is the law

As also one can have these graces without being holy, "otherwise," said Saint Bonaventure pleasantly!, "we should say that Balaam was holy, and even his donkey."

M. — Saint Paul points out, in his first to the Corinthians, the graces that theologians have described as free LM. "To everyone," he said, "is given the manifestation of the Spirit as it is useful. To one is given by the Spirit the ; to another the PA-

, according to the same Spirit; to another the For, in the same Spirit; to another the , in the same Spirit; to another the ; to another the PROPHETIA; to another the ; to another the DONATION OF Various Languages; to another the . All these things, one and the same Spirit operates them, giving each one as he pleases."

Saint Thomas °, and after it most + theologians, adopt and strive to justify as complete the nomenclature of the Apostle. He was, however, and of the most considerable, such as Suarez*, Corneille-la-Pierre, and Bel-

1 De profectu religios. 1.2, c. 76, t. 12 p. 434: Nec faciunt sanctum nec ostentant, alioquin Balaam sanctus esset, and ejus asina quae vidit angelum.

2 J Cor., S 7-11.

3 Sum.; 1.2, q. 111, to. 4.

4 MyTaAGvE, de Gratia, quaest. proœm. a. 4, concl. 2, Migne, C. T.T. 10, Col. 48: Ita express docet S. Thomas, 1.2, q. 147, to. 4, cui hac in parte plerique omnes suffragantur theologi.

5 De Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 5, n. 63, t. 7 p. 171: Superest advertendum circa numerum harum gratiarum, D. Thomam, in dicto art. 4, accurate studuisse rationem illius numeri reddere, ac si gratiæ gratis datæ ne only pauciores numerari exist. Verumtamen licatet illa congruentia, quam adducit, optime declaret quam convenienter et apposite potùerit Apostolus gratias illas distinguishe, and tanquam suficientes numerare, nihilominus non cogit dicere, aut illas omnes necessario esse distinguishendas, aut non pose vel easdem in plumes distinguishi, vel illis alias adjungi.

6 Com. in I Cor., xu, 10: Licet Appostolus hi tantum novem numeret gratias gratis datas, plumes tamen esse posunt.

who believe that St. Paul did not intend to formulate a rigorous enumeration, or at least that under a generic name he includes multiple species.

Does this latter interpretation leave enough room for the nine expressly stated leaders to be brought back to the most diverse forms of these miraculous graces? This will be judged by one by one the formulae of the Apostle, and by linking them to the different aspects they seem to indicate. The conclusion of this examination may be that Saint Paul did not mention that the graces that interest the apostolate and the ministries in the Church, and that apart from its enumeration there are many of these free gifts to which most mystical phenomena relate.

IV. — Saint Thomas? divides graces given free of charge into three groups, depending on whether they contribute to the perfection of knowledge, to the confirmation of doctrine or to the ease of expression. The holy doctor places faith, wisdom and science in the first category;

1 Controversies. de Gratia, l. 1 €. 10, t. 4 p. 553: Quarto quaritur num gratiæ gratis datae sint tantum novem, ut colligi emptyur ex cap. xu prioris ad Corinth. — Respondo ess mullo pres, neqve enim Apostolus eo loco omnes enumeravit, sed tantum aliquas exempli loco posuit.

2 Sum. 1.2, q. 111, to. 4: Gratia gratis data illa sub se continet quibus homo indiget ad hoc quod alterum instrument in rebus divinis, quae sunt supra rationem. Ad hoc autem tria requiruntur: primo quidem quod homo sit sortus plenitudinem cognitionis divinorum, ut ex hoc instruere alios posit; secundo ut posit confirmare vel probare ea quae dicit; alias non èsset efficax ejus doctrina; tertio ut ea quae concipit, posit convenienter auditoribus proferre. Quantum igitur ad primum..., poniteur fides..., sermo sapientieæ..., sermo scientiæ... Confirmation is per ea quae sunt divinæ. Virtuti proprio...; and quantum ad hoc ponitur gratia sanitatum..., operaatio virtutum..., prophetia..., discreteio spirituum, Faculty autem pronuntiandi potest attendi vel quantum ad idioma in quo aliquis posit intelligi, and secundum hoc ponuntur genera linguarum; vel quantum ad sensum eorum quae sunt proferenda, and quantum ad hoc ponitur interpretatio sermonum.

From idan

THE MEANS: THE GRACES FREELY DATA 95 in the second, the grace of healings and that of wonders, the prophecy and discernment of spirits; in the third, the gift of tongues and interpretation.

Suarez! admits the principle of this classification, but it distributes differently the various graces, relating to knowledge: prophecy, interpretation and discernment of spirits; confirmation: faith, the gift of healings and miracles; expression: wisdom, science and the gift of languages.

We do not have to decide on the respective merits of these rankings, each of which has its own reason to be, and, in order to escape all preference, we will stick to the order of exhibition laid out by St Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians.

V.—The wisdom here is considered to be a tasty knowledge of eternal things. It differs from wisdom, gift of the Holy Spirit. This is an experimental taste of the divine things that the soul to which it is. given is alone to feel, while the language of wisdom, sermo sapientiæ, is the ability to communicate to others, through the word, this supernatural impressionnability.

Science is the grace that offers and makes tastes of divine truths by means of reasonings that show its order and beauty, and the analogies, taken in nature, that help to hear them.

Between the free grace of science and the gift of science, there is the same relationship as between the grace of wisdom and the gift of wisdom: the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it; the gift is for the soul that receives it.

1 De Fide, disp. 8, sect. 2, n.1,t.19, p. 293: Ex novem ergo gratiis nnmeratis, very ad perfectionem cognitionis spectator, nimirum prophetia, discretio spirituum and interpretatio sermonum. Locutuem perficiunt tres aliæ, nimirum donum linguarum, sermo scientiæ and sapientiæ. Denic operation confirming fidem tres aliæ gratiæ, scilicet fides miraculorum, operaatio virtutum and gratia sanitatum.

96 1% SECT.: GOD CAUSE UNIQUE OF MYSTICAL TRUCY thanks to free ee goes to the building and instruction of the next t.

When holiness accompanies external graces and in the soul's innermost part the gifts of the Holy Spirit already reach miraculous proportions, one can look at graces freely given in wisdom and science as a radiance and extension of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that answer them; or, if one wants, as they provide the sanctification of the soul that receives them, wisdom and science are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and they become graces free of charge when they contribute to the building up of the neighbor?.

VI. — The free grace of faith is not the theological virtue by which we adhere to revealed truths; but we do not agree to clarify its concept.

Some see in it the faith that performs miracles, that faith that, according to the word of Our Lord*, repeated by St Paul, carries the mountains. It is the interpretation of Saint John Chrysostom, * of several Greek and Latin Fathers, and of some scholastic theologians. Other

15. Tuomas, Sum., 1.2, q. 111, a. 4, ad 4: Sapientia et scientia non computantur inter gratias gratis datas secundum quod enumerantur inter dona Spiritus sancti...; sed computantur inter gratias gratis datas, secundum quod important quamdam abundantiam scientiæ et sapientiæ, ut homo posit non solum in seipso recte sapere de divinis, sed etiam alios instruere et contradicentes revincere. And ideo inter gratias gratis datas significanter ponitur sermo sapientiae et sermo scientiæ.

2 Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 5, n. 8:7 p. 151: Interdum potest illa scientia et sapientia consistre in donis Spiritus sancti valde perfectis, quae in se sunt dona gratiæ gratum facientis, usus autem illorum ad aliorum utilitatem potest ad gratias gratis datas pertinere.

3 Matth., xvu, 19: If habueritis fidem sicut grnum sinapis, dicetis monti huic: Transi hinc illuc, and transibit.

4 1 Cor., xm, 2: So habuero omnem fidem ita ut montes transferam.

5 Hom. 29 in Ep. 4 ad Cor., xu: Alii autem fides: Fidem non eamdem dicens eam quae est dogmatum, sed eam quae est signorum.

6 Suarez of Gratia, Prol: 3, ©. 5; n. 10, t. 7, p.152: Fuit senticia Chrysostomi I Cor., x, and Græcorum, and habetur in commentaris Hiero-

THE MEANS: THE GRACES FOR FREE DATA 97 mean that he has a heroic intrepidity to confess, preach and defend holy beliefs +.

According to Saint Thomas?, commonly followed by the school, it is a super-eminent certainty of faith that makes it possible to offer and persuade others the truths that it teaches. In this sense, the grace of faith would be reduced to a miraculous illumination of the spirit, assisted by a lucid, ardent and easy word, which insinuates conviction. If the zeal of charity is assumed in the soul, nothing prevents the power of the word from being attributed to the influence of intimate faith. And to distinguish, even in this hypothesis, the infuse virtue of the gratuitous grace that bears the same name, it is sufficient to admit, with the Suarez docte?, that one is a infuse and permanent habit, and that the other consists in an act, in a present and transitory motion of the Holy Spirit, from where results the supernatural gift of eloquence.

VII. — The grace of healing, gratia sanilatum, includes the miraculous facts which have as their object the health of the child.

nymo and Ambrosio attributeis; and eam sequitur Cajetan., and Salmeron ibi, and Vasquez.

1 Suarez, ibid. n. 11 and 192: Alii per fidem intelligent fidei constantiam... Per hanc fidems intelligamus non simplicitem assensum fidei, vel aliquam intrinsecam and quasi intensivam certitudinem ejus; sed quasi extensivam perfectionem cognitionis fidei quoad modum concipiendi, persuadendi and defencendi doctrinam fidei.

2 Sum. 1.2, q. 111, a. 4, ad 2: Fides non numeratur hic inter gratias gratis datas secundum quod est quaedam virtus justificans hominem in seipso; sed secundum quod importat quamdam superminentem certitudinnem fidei, ex qua homo fit idoneus ad instruendum alios de his quae ad fidem pertinent.

3 De Gratia, Proleg. 3, ©. 5, n. 44, p. 153: Absolute autem loquendo, vietur dictum fidem, ut habet peculiarem ratioem gratiæ gratis datæ, in actuali motione Spiritus sancti consistre; nam, liquet fortasse habituale lumen fidei, vel habitus aliquis, vel habitus aliquis. scientiæ seu doctrinæ sacræ usu compartatus posit esse principalium hujus actus fidei quoad substantiam, nihilominus talis actus non habet rationem gratiæ gratis datæ nisi in quantum ex speciali motione: Spiritus sancti accipit aliquem peculiarem perfectionis modum.

nil 7

Tarn

porelle. It is one of the forms of the gift of miracles!; but this form deserves a special mention?, 2 because of the attention and the preference that man, attached to the life and the well-being of the body, gives him over all others.

We have said this by describing the empire of holiness over the world of nature, among the wonderful influences that holy souls exercise around them, the most important of the benefits are the most significant.

NII. — The operation of prodigies, operaatio virtutum, is generally understood to mean the gift of miracles in the physical order, to which is attached, as the species to the genus, as we have just said, the grace of health. It therefore embraces all derogations from the accomplished bodily nature. on man or other sensitive things, either to convince of the truth of doctrine, or to manifest the power of holiness: the glorious privilege that the Church of Jesus Christ alone possesses, as an unquestionable testimony of her heavenly origin and divine mission.

IX. — Prophecy and discernment of spirits are miracles of intellectual order. By prophesying we are de-

.. 1 SALMANTICENSES, Arbor prædicament. virtutum, S 17, n. 166: Dividitur (gratia miraculorum) in gratiam sanitatum, ut cum miracula fiunt ad remedium nostræ corporalis salutis and vitae; and in operationem virtutum, ut cum solum manifesting divinam omnipotentiam eaque manifestatione fidem confirming.

2 S. Tuomas, Sum, 2.2, q. 178, to. 1, ad 4: Gratia sanitatum commemoratur seorsum, quia per eam confirtur homini aliquod beneficium, scilicet corporalis salutis, præter beneficium commun quod exhibitur in omnibus miraculis, ut scilicet homines adducantur ad Dei notitiam.

Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 5, n. 15 and 16, t. 7 p. 454: Vera igitur gratia sanitatis miraculosis: operatur sanitatem; ergo comprehenditur sub generali gratia faiencedi miracula. Operatio autem virtutum, si in tota sua generalitate sumatur, idem est quod gratia miraculorum... Verisimilius is autem gratiam sanitatum solum significare quod verbi proprietas præ se fert, curations miraculosas a morbis corporis; sub operatione autem virtitum omnia alia opera miraculosa, quae aliquo modo supernaturalia sint, and vel circa, homines vel circa res alias sensibiles fiant, Apostolum comprehendisse.

The means: the free graces given "99

covers things: hidden and especially the future: by discerning the spirits, which is only one of the forinemen of prophecy, one penetrates the secret thoughts and dispositions of souls.

. We have dealt expressly with the question of the Revivals! of these two kinds of graces to which it is easy to bring back supernatural visions and words, and, in principle, all intellectual manifestations of mystical order.

X. — The gift of languages takes various forms. It usually consists in infuse knowledge of foreign idioms without any prior study or exercise. The prodigy is accomplished in those who bear the word or in those who listen to it, according to whether one speaks or hears a language hitherto unknown. But sometimes the miracle takes on a more wonderful character. While the speaker speaks in a foreign language, the hearers hear him in their own, all different; or, even more prodigious, men of various nations hear each one their own idiom under the unique statement of the one who speaks to them?

XI. — The grace of interpretation, interpretatio sermonum, taken in its narrowest sense, is a supernatural ease of understanding and translating a foreign idioma. In a broader sense, it extends to the intelligence of mysterious, difficult, obscure formulas.

1 96 P, chap. 16, t.9, p. 283-304. 2 Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, 6.5, n. 48, p. 165: Duobus autem modis fcogitari potest haec gratia communicatori fidelibus; uno modo, ex parte audientium, alio modo ex parte loquentium. Prior erit si prædicator, una tantum verborum prolatione et in solo idiomate proprio loquens, simul ab omnibus audientibus diversarum linguarum intelligatur. Quod potest duplicate accedere, scilicet, vel quia omnes verba ejusdem idiomatis audientes significantem eorum percipiunt, vel quia, licatet concionator unius linguae verba proferat, in auribus audientium multiplicantur. 3 S. Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 176, a. 2, ad 4: Interpretatio sermonum po-

100 1° SECT.: GOD THE SINGLE CAUSE OF MYSTICAL TRUE, especially of the Holy Scriptures, prayers and liturgical rites, of traditional teaching. This gift explains the infuse knowledge that so many saints and saints had sacred texts, and the wonderful ease with which they revealed their mystery, spirit and beauty!

XII. — It is a common doctrine among theologians? that Our Lord has possessed without restriction or intermittance the graces freely given, and that they meet in the saints only with reservations and alternatives, at the will of divine liberality; * what is needed in the case of the Holy One.

of all these graces whose fullness is only suitable for Jesus Christ, and of some in particular, the ordinary form of which is that of more or less repeated transient motions. This is the case with the prophecy and the discernment of the spirits *: never are these gifts con-

test reduci ad donum prophetiae, inquantum scilicatet mens illuminatur ad intelligentgendum et exponendum quanecumque sunt in sermonibus obscura, sive propter difficultem rerum significatarum, sive etiam propter ipsas voces ignotas quae proferuntur, sive etiam propter similitudines rerum adhibitas.

1 Suarez, from Gratia, Proleg. 3, c. 5, n. 55 and 60, p. 168 and 170: Duo autem modi emptyur esse præcipui et probabiliores. Unus est, ut interpretatio sermonum ad significem verborum referatur; alius est ut de sensibus et mysteriis in verbis inclusis intelligatur. Priori modo interpretari sermonem est verba unius idiomatis per alterius verba exponere, quod potest prouri vel scripto vel voce... Venio ad alium modum hujus interpretationis, which... datur ad docenda mysteria quae in verbis latent... Hoc ergo dabatur olim pastoribus and doctoribus Ecclesiae per gratiam interpretationis sermonum, and strong aliquibus sanctis posta data est, etc.

2 Suarez, de Incarn. disp. 21, sect. 2, n. 7 t. 17, p. 616: Dico has gratias fled in Christo permanenter and per modum habitus, ita ut illis uti possess suo arbitrio, in quo alios homines superavit.

3 J. Lopez EZQUERRA, Luc. Myst. Tr. 4, c. 1, n. 8, p. 56: Plerumque enim vidimus aliquas ex illis quasi habitualiter possideri, alias vero raro et citra recipientis arbitrium, guia divinus Spiritus sinulis dividit prout vult.

4 S. Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 174, a. 3, ad 2: Prophetia no is per modum habitus immanentis, sed magis per modum passionis transeuntis. Unde non est inconveniens quod uni et eidem prophetæ fiat revelatio prophetica diversis vicibus secundum diversos gradus.

5 Bona, discreet. spir. ©. 2, n, 3, p. 227: Hæc enim gratia (discretio

THE MEANS: THE GRACES FOR FREE DATA ` 101 tenus, even in the saints who possessed them to the highest degree. The same can be said, without contesting the possibility of exceptions, the grace of health and the operation of wonders. The other graces listed by the Apostle, namely: wisdom, science, faith, the gift of languages and the gift of interpretation are usually permanent and in the form of habit.

XII. — If we are now looking for the role of graces given free of charge in mystical phenomena, here are the interpretations that we consider most likely.

The contemplative illumination and the drunkenness of ecstasy are explained by the grace of wisdom; the infuse knowledge and artistic skills, by the two combined graces of wisdom and science. And if we add the one of faith to these two, we will have the gift of supernatural eloquence.

The grace of idimes completes the power of the apostle. The grace of interpretation imparts an admirable ease of understanding and exposing holy letters, truths and Christian symbols.

Visions, words, revelations of all kinds are forms of prophecy.

The penetration of souls and consciences is due to the discernment of minds.

God grants the saints the grace of healing for re-

spirituum), sicut et reliquæ gratis datae, in Christo solo per modum habitus fuerunt, ut concors theologorum sentisia docet; cæteris datur per modum actus sive motionis transeuntis, aliis quidem rarius, aliis frequentius, aspirante divina gratia quando et quomodo vult.

1 BELLARMIN, Controv. de Gratia, 1.4, ©. 40, t. 4 p. 550: Respondeo, ex novem donis gratis datis..., quinque videri habitus permanentes: sapientiam, scientiam, fidem, genera linguarum and interpretationem sermonum; quartet reliqua, transeuntes motions: gratiam sanitatum, operationem virtutum, prophetiam and discreetionem spirituum.

lay down the prayers and desires of their charity, and. by revealing to the world the secret of their holiness.

All that remains is the operation of the wonders to make reason for the mystical phenomena still unexplained. But does this grace include an interpretation that responds to the variety of facts that other free donations are not enough to explain? This would require the widest acceptance, i.e., to hear it from the virtue of miracles in general in the active and passive sense. In the active sense, this grace would explain all that we have reported of the empire that the saints exercise over the surrounding beings; and, in the passive sense, the wonders of which they themselves are subjects, such as mystical suffering, stigmatization, odours, balms, radiation, the transformation of the senses, the renovation of the heart.

Is not such an interpretation forced? May Pon hear the grace which St Paul calls iveoyhuata ðuvžusov, and which one can translate; the operations of acts of power or wonders, which we may say we hear, this grace in the active sense, we understand; but seeing there at the same time the privilege of performing and undergoing all miracles, is, in our view, to overcome the Passion of the word evEpyAUUTE.

And if this is the true meaning of this word, it is necessary to hold the eveoynuura Quvausuwv of Saint Paul, no longer for a particular grace, but as a general and summary statement that would encompass all graces given free of charge. In this assumption, it would remain to enumerate the various species understood under this supreme genus, and then comes back the difficulty that it is supposed to elude, namely, that the Apostle did not draw a complete enumeration of the graces given free of charge.

With Joseph Lopez Ezquerra!, we would admit that

1 See above, p. 91, note 2,

The Ar ON Hs

' y i i ME E R P THE MEANS: THE GRACES FREE DATA 103-thirds two parts in these gifts of God: one looking at the external work of sanctification through the ministry of the word; the other would concern mystical facts. Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians only points out the main forms of miraculous preaching; he does not say anything about the mystical facts, which he did not intend to mention. It is not that most graces for the success of the apostolate do not intervene in the production of mystical phenomena; but many of these mysterious operations are related to different causes that were not stated by the apostle of the Gentiles.

XIV. — In principle, as many free pardons can be distinguished as there are groups of facts of the same nature. Instead of nine, one would thus have an indefinite number of free gifts, and it is no more possible to undertake the complete nomenclature, than it is to number the multiple and inexhaustible forms of divine interventions.

This accepted principle, instead of forcing interpretations to relate the indefinite varieties of mystical life to the statements of St Paul, it seems simpler to us to see under each of these statements only what is evidently in it, and then to assume as many graces free of charge given as one recognizes diversity in supernatural manifestations.

Moreover, certain aspects of mystical life presuppose inner sanctification and cannot be explained by extrinsic favours separable from holiness. We do not understand contemplative union, to any degree that is supposed to be, nor even tranquillity without the real presence of God in the soul. Passive purifications do not seem to us to belong to the graces given free of charge, because, by their very nature, they tend rather to be

ST f J

to the sanctification of the subject as to that of the neighbor; and, if it is not yet grace that justifies it, it is at least a present grace that prepares it.

XV. — Thus, in order to sum up our thoughts on the divine processes in which mysticism results, we believe that all phenomena are only given a proper reason by using the two miraculous forms of grace: knowledge, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the graces given free of charge. There are facts — those that suppose inner grace — which are explained only by the former; others find satisfactory interpretation only in the latter. Finally, there are some who are also justified by one and the other: when holiness is revealed by unequivocal signs and the wonders are less related to the external utility than to the subject, which is particularly recognized by the difficulty of expressing the grace that he enjoys, they must be brought back to the gifts of the Holy Spirit!; when, on the contrary, they seem destined for the sanctification of others, they must be placed among the graces freely given.

1 SCARAMELLI, Dirett. mist. Tr. 1, ©. 10, n. 98, p. 35: Conoscerà tutto ciò il dirttore con le proprie esperienze: poichè avrà ai piedi un Al contrario si abbatterà in un altra persona, che nulla di ciò ha mai experimentato nelle sue orazioni; contuttociò will speak so altamente di Dioe e so deepamente delle cose celestiali ed eterne che desterà affetti di ammirazione e di di divozione in chiunque l'oda. — Item, Tr2/m9151,61/1592n. 104.

Chapter VI

The Diabolical Counterfeits of the Exclusively Divine Supernatural

The demon intervenes in the human world. — The various modes of these interventions. — The absolutely divine supernatural that the demon strives to simulate: the creation of a substance.— The resurrection.— The demon feigns death with prolonged lethargy: the fakirs of India buried alive and returning to life. — He makes believe in the resurrection by exciting transient movements in the corpses: Simon the Magi and St Peter in front of the coffin of a child. — Serious injuries and deep wounds can only be instantly healed by the Author of Nature; but here again the tempter deceives by his prestige: the llamas of the Thibet that open their belly and close the wound at their own discretion. — Bilocations and instant translations are forbidden to the demon.— He cannot introduce the bodies through solid bodies; but he invisiblely spawns real and proportionate passages for them. — Prophecy surpasses Satan's power; he simulates it with the help of the help of natural forecasts, by ambiguous formulas or bold lies. — The knowledge of free thoughts and acts also escapes him; he is reduced and resorts to conjecture. Nor can he raise souls to intellectual communications. — Conclusions and practical rules.

"We have told the wonders of God so far, with increasing emotion of admiration and joy, and, despite the deep awareness of our indignity, we have

We feel at the bottom of the soul as an emanation of the ce-

They were influences, which made us better.

We leave these horizons of light and azure, where all the beauties of the earth and the sky meet, this embalm atmosphere which God makes to the holy souls by radiating upon them, to approach a cursed region that obscures and infects the spirit of evil.

The impression of our misery repeats and turns into a sense of terror. Whether the poets invoke, on the threshold of Tartarus or hell, intellectual geniuses who guide and protect them. For us, we urge the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus and ours, to watch over us; and our good angel, the faithful companion of our life in this valley of tears, to accompany us on this excursion through the dark abyss.

It is a dogma of the Christian faith! Satan uses all forms of trick to induce man to sin; but great caution is needed when it comes to deciding on the sensitive manifestations of the tempter. Two pitfalls must be avoided. "Some people who take their mind and intrepidity, consider everything they say about the power of the evil angels, their appearances, the illusions they cause in our senses, the obsessions and possessions of the demons, the changes they produce in the air, and so many other things that they are attributed, as tales that are conducive to the fun of the unfaithful spirits; they look with pity to those who parishion convinced of them. Others go in an excess opposite: they are

1 Suarez of Angelis, 1.7, c.C. 18, n. 4, t. 2, p. 1069: Primo ergo dicimus propriom ac præcipuum malorum angelorum ministerium seu occupationem esse homines ad peccandum indicere seu tentare. Hoc manifestum is infide.

- What? Bere pe Vence, Dissert, on the real and false miracles and on the power of demons and angels over bodies, t 2, p. 25.

MO persuade of all that is said of the strength of demons, magicians and sorcerers; they slightly believe all the true or supposed miracles that are told to them, and receive without examination all the stories that one makes of the appearances of spirits and the possessors of bodies by demons. Others, by a much more dangerous disposition of mind, take occasion to deny all miracles, and all that is said of demons, angels, and spirits, on the pretext that an infinite amount of false miracles is being poured out, and that certain, yet extraordinary, effects have often been taken as wonders, whose causes are unknown to those who are the witnesses of them."

These remarks are very wise: they will serve as a rule of conduct to avoid with the same care and disbelief and credulity.

First, let us affirm highly, since it is a point of faith, that the demon intervenes in the human world, sometimes openly, as a declared adversary of God, sometimes veiled and in the shadow, perfidibly simulating the divine effectiveness to capture the admiration of men and engage them in his purposes of perversion. f

Satan is terrible when he attacks face-to-face) and it often takes the full power of the Church to contain his audacity and stop his tyranny. He is no less to be feared in his hidden tricks and secret perfidies which lead him even more surely to the success he hopes: the contempt of religion and the ruin of souls".

It is therefore important to be able to distinguish the wonderful evil from the true supernatural divine.

II. — In order to unravel the cursed counterfeits from the true mystic, we must report the facts that the demon

i. Aucusnin, Enarrat in Psalm. xc, serm. 2, n. 9, p. 330: Leo aperte sævit, draco occult insidiatur: utramque vim and potostatem habet dia-

bolus,

_ simulates or realizes, and we will tell by what methods it operates these wonders.

The facts fall into one of these three categories: what is forbidden to the demon, what can be common to him with God, which is exclusively his own.

At each of these degrees, the rebellious angel appears only to singer and forge the work of God.

In the first, he doesn't reproduce, he only fakes.

In the second, he realizes a phenomenon that seems equivalent to the miracle, but which is, in itself, purely natural.

In the third, he parodys the divine, less by similarities than by monstrous contradictions that amaze man and plunge him into the abjection.

Counterfeiting of pure lies;

Real, but not miraculous, counterfeits;

Counterfeiting of parody, revolt and blasphemy:

This is the dark world we have to describe.

This chapter deals with the supernatural that exceeds Satan's power, and the counterfeits that he opposes.

The next chapter will bring us back to the common ground where God and the demon meet, one for good and the other for evil, and we will specify the characters of evil action, as we have specified those that distinguish divine action.

Finally, in a series of chapters, we will describe these horrific parodies by which the genius of evil spreads his hatred and audacity against God.

I, — The supernatural forbidden to the demon is AT itself which constitutes God's reserved part. This part, we have described in one of the previous chapters, and we would not have to return to it if it were not for a false falsehood to attempt bold counterfeits, with persistence and perfidy all the more formidable as its supreme and incurable madness is to run for the honors of the divinity.

It is clear, first and foremost, that a creation exceeds the evil power: what is forbidden to every creature can only be acceptable to God. But the difficulty of finding that there is really production, not a shift in substance, makes this not a decisive point in practice. However, when it comes to the appearances of new beings, and when one is warned by the circumstances that it is the fallen angel who is on stage, one is thus assured that there is not creation, but simple addition of pre-existing beings, or, even less so, pure fantastic appearances. These transpositions and illusions are perfectly in harmony with the clever manners of demons.

Thus, among other things, the wonders performed by the magicians of Egypt in competition with Moses and Aaron are explained. It is known that these enchanters were able to reproduce the first three signs by which Jehovah's envoys notified Pharaoh of the orders they had received. Aaron threw the mysterious rod to the ground, and she immediately turned into a serpent: the magicians, in turn, threw away their sticks, which also appeared to be serpents; but the first reptile, coming out of Aaron's rod, devoured all the others. The same was true of the second sign, which converted the waters of the river to blood, and the third, which caused the frogs to pull on the ground of Egypt. But in the fourth sign, that of the flies?, the power of the magicians was at the end, and they had to recognize that "the finger of God was there."

The interpreters, as we know, have worked hard to explain these evil counterfeits, and more than one, mainly among the modern ones, seems to us

1 Exod. vii, 10-12.

2 Exod. vn, 20, 22.

3 Ibid, vm, 49: And tenerunt malefici ad Pharaem: Digitus Dei èst hic.

Pr ut 0 alan tre ps ae ct ee pte à (rat š y i g0 s$ 3 one "i ÿ fe ile ga ar em f n 4 4 lm lea lea

f i i y

110 escape the objections and mockery of unbelief.

Why, first of all, would it be disputed that the rod of Moses and Aaron had been converted into a serpent, and that, at their will, the water of the Nile had been turned into blood, and the frogs had been stuffed on the land of Egypt?

Concerning the transformation of the magicians' yards, serious opinions are reduced to the next two?. According to some, this change was not real, but prestigious, either that the demon deluded the senses, or that he presented outside the fantastic forms of snakes. The others, in more numbers, think that the snakes that appeared instead of the rods were alive and true, and they agreed that they could not come from a creation. The most plausible and most motivated interpretation is a pure substitution of reptiles with rods suddenly removed or rendered invisible.

The same can be said of all the other wonders. Demons never create; they can only act on natural causes. *

IV. — We have said that the resurrection is an absolutely divine fact, and we have heard Suarez proclaim as a point of faith that the demon is powerless to perform such wonders. But, these wonders, the tempter simulates them, sometimes pretending death to make a

1 See Grain, Avenged Holy Books, ch. 2, a. 4, t.1, p. 348-359.

2 ConneL In Lap. Comm. in Ex. vir, 12, p. 409: Aliqui putant magos hos non veros exhibuisse dracones, sed per præstigias suas illusisse oculis spectantium vel eis objecisse larvas et simulacra quaædam draconum... Verum verius is quod censent S. Augustinus, Theodoretus, Lyranus, Burgensis, Cajetanus and alii, veros hos magorum fumes dracones... Dico ergo daemonem aliund hos dracones adduxisse, etc.

3 S. Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 178, to. 1, ad 2: Vera autem dicuntur, quia ipsæ res veræ erunt, sicut magi Pharaohis fecerunt veras ranas and serpentous veros; non tamen habebund veram rationem miraculi, quia fient virtute naturalium causarum,

EXGLUSIVELY DIVINE

sometimes, when death is real, by feeling the excitement and movements that are attributed to the return of life on the tavi.

V.—Nothing resembles death as a prolonged lethargy, and the demon knows enough the laws of the organism to determine these false suspensions of life. Simon the Magi, who rightly passed for having been one of the most insignia of hell, doubtless relied on some intervention of this nature, when he offered, if he believed the author of the PHILOSOPHUMENA, to be buried and raised, as Christ did, on the third day. But the prayer of the Prince of the Apostles thwarted a trick that tended to overturn the fundamental miracle of the Christian faith. At his word, the magician's disciples dug a pit and buried it there. Three days after they reopened the tomb, but their master did not rise up. "For he was not Christ," adds the author, "we quote.

No doubt Simon was not Christ, and in those circumstances when the preaching of the Gospel had been put to a stand by such deceptions, God could not allow them. But is that to say that they can never take place? That would be too much to say. In any case, because of Simon the Mage, that it is difficult to reconcile with other accounts about the end of this famous impostor, it is likely that he is not in a position to do so.

1 Simon Maioro, Dies canicules, colloq. 3, t. 2, p. 230: Is igitur #xataoi diabolica aliud nihil nisi ludibrium diaboli, revocatione ecstaticorum ad sese ac restitutione ceu ex mort in vitam, conantis efingere opus resuscitationis mortuorum, quod solius omnipotentiæ divinæ opus est, diabolo inimitabile; scilicet ut hoc præstigiarum genere fidem faciat his quae ecstatici ad sese enumerant, and omnipotentiæ divinæ gloriam ac majestatem elevet et obscuret.

2 Lib. 6, n. 20, p. 267: Quem multos magica arte decipientem sæpe Petrus impugnavit. Novissime venit... and sub platano sedens edocuit. And tandem quom in eo trieset ut convinceretur, quia diu in ea re perstabat, promised, if vivus sepeliretur, to resurrecturum tertia die. Foveaque ossaa a discipulis se jussit sepeliri; discipuli quod mandate erat effecerunt; ille autem ibi mansit usque nunc. Not enim erat Christus,

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112 some fakirs in India are buried alive, and after several days or even months of apparent death, are recalled to life. In the eyes of the vulgar, this may be considered true resurrections. We borrow from M. de Mirville! two accounts with sufficient guarantees of authenticity, and which will give us to hear how to perform these kinds of juggling where the devil could play the main role.

The first is taken from a book written by an English army officer from India, Mr. Osborne. "On June 6, 1838," he says, "the monotony of our camp life was fortunately interrupted by the arrival of a famous individual in the

Punjab. I enjoy, among the Sikhs, a great Veneto-

because of his ability to remain buried underground for as long as he pleases. We reported in the country such extraordinary facts about this man, and so many respectable people guaranteed their authenticity, that we were extremely eager to see him. He told us himself that he had been doing what he called his profession for several years. We have seen, indeed, repeat this strange experience on various points in India. Among the serious and reliable men who bear witness to this, I must mention Captain Wade, a political agent in Lodhiana. This officer told me very seriously that he himself had witnessed the resurrection of this fakir, after a funeral that had taken place a few months earlier, in the presence of General Ventura, Maharadjah and the main Sikh leaders. These are the details that were given to him about this burial, and those that he added, according to his own authority, about the exhumation.

"Following some preparations that had lasted

1 Spirits, App. of the 1st vol. of the 3rd mem. App. A, n. 2, p. 63.

LINE SAS ER A, k DES ANS LE 4 re

EXCLUSIVELY DIVIN 113 days and which he would repulsively enumerate, the fakir had declared himself ready to undergo the test. Maharadjah, Sikh chiefs and General Ventura gathered near a masonry grave built to receive him. Before their eyes, the fakir closed with wax, with the exception of its mouth, all the openings of its body that could give in to the air. Then he stripped himself of the clothes he was wearing. Then they wrapped in a bag of cloth, and, according to his desire, they turned his tongue back, so that he would shut up the mouth of the gossip; immediately after this operation, the fakir fell into a kind of lethargy. The bag that contained it was closed, and a stamp was placed on it by the Maharadjah. The bag was then placed in a box of locked and sealed wood, which was taken down into the grave: a great quantity of earth was thrown on it, and the earth was trodden for a long time, and barley was sown there; and sentries were placed all around with orders to watch day and night. Despite all these precautions, the Maharadjah remained in doubt; he came twice in the space of ten months, during which time the fakir remained buried, and he opened the grave before him; the fakir was in the bag, as it had been put there, i.e. cold and inanimate. During the last ten months, the final exhumation was carried out, and General Ventura and Captain Wade saw the locks opened, the seals broken, and the body lifted out of the grave. We took the fakir out. No pulse, either in the heart or in the pulse, indicated the presence of life. As a first step to revive him, a person gently inserted his finger into his mouth and placed his tongue in his natural position. The top of the head was the seat of a sensitive heat. Slowly pouring hot water over the body, you get little by little some signs of life. After two hours of treatment, the fakir rose and began to walk smiling. II 8

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"This truly extraordinary man tells us that during his burial he has delicious dreams, but that the moment of awakening is always very difficult for him. Before returning to the consciousness of his own existence, he experiences vertigo.

"He is about thirty years old; his face is unpleasant and has a certain expression of cunning."

The second fact was collected by M. de Mirville! himself from an eyewitness from whom he borrows the writing.

"One day I was invited," he said, "to the most singular ceremony in Tangore, in the Southern Dekkan. It was nothing less than exhumation of a fakir buried alive for twenty days.

"A santassi of the Vishnu sect had claimed that he could live an unlimited time without drinking or eating, and, moreover, locked up in a tomb. Having done this wonderful trick several times, he had become for the Hindus a holy figure placed under the direct protection of the conservative god. The British authority, wishing to take advantage of the opportunity to bring a deadly blow to superstition, believed it at least, proposed to the fakir to bury itself. To everyone's surprise, the fakir accepted. In the presence of English officers and a huge crowd of Europeans and indigenous people, he was descended into a tomb that was covered with land, surrounded by factionaries and opened only when the twentieth day had expired. This expired time, in the presence of the authorities, was to take place the opening of the tomb, where it was believed that only one body was found.

"When I arrived at the door of the Hindu cemetery, I saw a large crowd of Indians gathered the day before; it was not without difficulty that I could slip into the midst of this

1 Of Spirits, App: of the 1st vol. of the 3rd mem. App. To, n. 2, p. 66,

Compact mass. Thanks to an officer of my friends who saw me, however, I ended up at the top of the list of assistants, whose mobile physiognomy, driven by impatience, fear and curiosity, were not the least interesting part of the show. The Brahmins, seriously wrapped in their long yellow robes, seemed very convinced that the fakir was alive; the English officers lifted their shoulders and smiled unbelieffully.

"The delegate of the government finally arrived; silence was made. The gravemen, seizing their shovels, began to clear the tomb of the earth and the grasses that covered it; then, after having passed long bamboos in the sealed loops at the corners of the wide stone that closed its entrance, eight solid Indians lifted it up, and, sliding it, left the opening of the vault gaping, from which escaped heavy and mephitic air.

"At the bottom of this six-square-foot masonry hole was a long trunk of teak wood, solidly joined with copper screws. On each wall were small openings of a few centimetres so that the air could pass. We slipped ropes under the ends of the beer, we hoisted it on the ground, and the interesting part of the exhumation began.

"In this crowd of eight to ten thousand individuals belonging to all classes, to all ranks, to all castes, had a silence of death. Only the gnashing of screws in the wood and the psalmodia of the Brahmins, for which what was happening was essentially religious, were heard. So accustomed that I myself was to the native morals, I felt a strong emotion. The circle had tightened around the cipayes that formed the hedge, all eyes were fixed on the beer.

"The lid finally jumped under a last effort of the workers, and I could see, lying on mats, a long

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lean and half naked body, whose cadasper face does not give-

no sign of existence. A brahmine approached and lifted out of the trunk a defiled head, mummified and in an incomprehensible state of conservation after such a long stay in the earth. It was the head of a cataleptic and not that of a dead man. She had kept the position that the priest had given her, having repeatedly passed her hands over her eyes, which were open, fixed, directed forward. It was like a wax face.

"Two men lifted up the body, and, pulling it from the chest, put it down on a mat. I've never seen a similar thinner before. The dry and wrinkled skin of the fakir was glued to his bones; one could certainly have made on him a course of anatomy. With each of the movements that the carriers imprised to its limbs covered with living, scorbutic spots, I heard them crack as if they had been bound together by rusty hinges.

"When the deenseveli was seated, the brahmin opened his mouth and introduced him between his lips about half a glass of water; then he stretched again and began to rub him from head to toe, slowly first, more quickly afterwards. For almost an hour the body made no movement; but when the unbelieving English began to mock the Hindu, the fakir closed his eyes, and immediately opened them again by pushing a sigh.

"A hurrah arose among the natives; the brahmine began his frictions again. Soon the intruder stirred an arm, a leg, and, almost without help, lifted up on his seant, wearing a mornificant and glazed look around him. He opened his mouth, moved his lips, but could not speak a word. He was still given a drink, and ten minutes had not passed but the Indian Lazarus, supported by

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417. the brahmine ji moved away slowly from his tomb, in the midst of the multitude that knelt down on his way, while the authorities were struggling to hide their disappointment. The British officers made the most singular figure, and treated the fakir as juggling, not finding this strange resurrection any reasonable explanation,

"After the departure of the fakir, curious people had rushed into the vault, but they had been fine in surveying all the walls, demolishing the masonry, digging the ground, nothing had come to give the unbelievers the key to the riddle. It had been materially impossible for Hindus to get out of his tomb; there was no way out, and the factionaries had not ceased, during the twenty days he had been locked in, to keep him night and day. I asked who the factioners were, and I was told that there had been no cipay among them, and that they had all been taken from among the English soldiers.

"How then did the fakir not die of this long deprivation of air and food? The doctors of the army, at least those who were learned enough to have the right to confess that they were unaware of something, were seriously discussing; the others, and they were in more numbers, were talking of nothing less than hanging high and running the poor man, to see if his address would allow him to escape from the gallows as she had allowed him to get out of the grave. Luckily, he had disappeared from the black city side, because we could have finished the ceremony by reintegrating him into his coffin. I let my companions discuss, the fosseurs fill the vault, the Hindus fight the debris of the mats that had wrapped the living dead, and I went back to my hotel, seeking to explain to me what I had just witnessed."

VI. — The second way to feign the resurrection is

to produce movements on an inanimate body that give rise to the reappearance of life.

The Acts of the Holy Martyrs Nerea, Achilles and Domitilla contain an example of what the demon is simulating and what God is doing in resurrection. This account, we know, is not of unquestionable value, although serious authors dare not reject it; but authenticity does not matter; we only care about the staging of doctrine. St Peter and Simon the Mage, is it said?, met one day in front of the body of a child who was carried on the ground. The prince of the apostles had the convoy stopped and proposed to the crowd that the magician misled by his prestige to adhere to the word of the two who would give life to that death. Simon accepted the challenge on the condition that soon after the miracle he made himself strong to perform, the witnesses would put to death the disciple of Christ. He hoped to get rid of the dreadful adversary who had failed his power before his trick was discovered. So he began his infernal invocations, and soon the child was seen to stir up, as if he had found life again. At the moment, the people make their voices heard and are about to

1 See Baronius, Ann. eccl., Anno 68, n. 21 t. 1, p. 578.

2 BB. 12 May, t. 16, p. 9, n. 12: In loco in quo Petrum Simon arguebat, transibat vidua cum ingenti populo elamosisque vocibus et luctu, efferens unicum filium. Tunc has Petrus ad populum who credebat Simoni: Accedite ad feretrum and deponite illum which mortuus ducitur; and Who eum aroused warning, hujus vera fides esse credatur. Quod cum fecisset populus, dixit Simon: Modo so eum instilavero, interficietis Petrum? Resonditque omnis tarha: Vivum eum incendemus. Tunc Simon, invocatis omnibus daemonis, ministerio eorum coeæpit agere ut moveretur corpus. Quod populi emptyes coeperunt clamare in laudem Simonis et in perniciem Petri. Tunc Petrus, vix impetrato Silentio, ad populum: Si vivit, loquatur, ambulet, accipiat cibum, revertatur ad domum suam. Quod si hos non fecerit, to Simone sciatis your falli. Ad haec populus una voce clamabat dicens: So special non fecerit Simon, pænam quam Petro posuit ipse patatur... Tunc Petrus, expandens manus suas ad coelum, dixit: Domine Jesu Christe..., excita puerum istum, ut omnis haec turba cognoscat whoa you are Deus, and not is alius præter te... Exsurgens atem puer, etc.

119 immolating the apostle, when he, with his voice and his hand, demands silence: "If the child lives," he said, "let him speak, let him walk, let him eat and go home; and if he cannot do it, know that you are fools of Simon's deceit."Yes, yes," replied the multitude, "if he does not do this, Simon will have the fate he asked for for Peter." The impostor seeks expedients, first in feint anger, then in flight; but the indignant spectators seize him and inflict upon him the first punishment of public derision. Peter then, rising his eyes to heaven, invokes the name of Jesus Christ on death, and this time the death returns to life, comes out of his coffin and speaks to those around him. The crowd alone proclaims the true God whom Peter announces, and wants Simon to atone for his impostures by giving him up to the flames. The disciple of Christ obtains his deliverance by recalling the maxim of the Master, that good must be returned for evil.

"The false resurrections of the dead, will we conclude with M. Gougenot des Mousseaux', are not a very rare demonic phenomenon... Most often the magical resurrections are only tricks of pass, only acts of prestidigitation, only rapid and aerial transport of living bodies instead of corpses, in circumstances of crowds, tumult, half-day or darkness, etc., which spread the wave around the phenomenon and create uncertainty or pity in the minds, as soon as the reflection succeeds surprise. They are also, from time to time, the result of towers of physics and secrets of medicine: the demon, who possesses all the mysteries of the organization of the bodies and all the science of the forces and weaknesses of man, producing false deaths and suspending by various means acts and functions

1 Mors and practices of demons, ch, 24, notes, p. 413,

life. He did not give himself any more trouble than to help nature, when it comes to simulating resurrections and making himself the auxiliary of the impostors who work for his benefit."

VII. — The prolonged maintenance of life after the removal of an essential organ and the sudden healing of deep wounds or blissful wounds are facts that surpass the evil virtue. The demon can only put natural energies in play; but these instant results are above the forces of nature.

However, here again, the lying spirit has two ways of fooling: to simulate the wounds with illusions that, in fainting, seem to bring the normal state back; or, when the evil is real, to present in the eyes appearances of healing that have only the duration of prestige.

Mr. Huc! assures that lamas of Tartaria and Thibet

1 Trip to Tartaria, Thibet and China, ch. 9, t. 4 p. 308: The bokte appears, He moves seriously in the midst of the cheers of the crowd, goes to sit on the altar, and unties from his belt a large knife which he places on his knees. At his feet, many lamas, placed in a circle, begin the terrible invocations of this terrible ceremony. A. As prayer recitation progresses, the bokte trembles from all its members, and gradually enters frenetic convulsions. The llamas soon did not keep any measure; their voices became animated, their singing rushed into disorder, and the recitation of prayers was enfia replaced by shouts and screams. Then the bokte abruptly rejects the scarf of which he is wrapped, unties his belt, and, grabbing the sacred cutlass, opens his belly in its entire length. As blood flows from all sides, the multitude bows to this horrible spectacle, and we ask this frenetic about the hidden things... When the devoted curiosity of the many pilgrims is satisfied, the lamas resume, with calm and gravity, the recitation of their prayers. The bokte collects blood from his wound in his right hand, carries it to his mouth, blows three times over it, and throws it into the air with a great cry. Tl quickly passes his hand on the wound of his belly, and everything comes into his primitive state, without any trace of this evil operation remaining, if this is an extreme downfall... These horrific ceremonies are often repeated in the large lamaseries of the Tartaria and Thibet. We do not think that we can always count on the mischief of such things; for after all that we have seen and heard among the idolatrous nations, we are convinced that the demon plays a great role in them.

1421 opens the belly in its entire length with a large cutlass, and that after satisfying the curiosity of the greedy multitudes of this spectacle, they only have to pass their hand on the wound so that immediately it closes without any visible scar. By admitting the fact, of which we have no reason to suspect existence, we would hold it to be purely prestigious.

It was by producing a similar hallucination on the spectators that Simon the Mage appeared, it is said!, to be slit his head in front of Nero, to whom he had promised to rise three days later, in proof that he was the Son of God. But instead of his head, he presented to the executioner the one of a goat: he did not find it difficult to appear before Caesar.

Such artifices are quite in Satan's genius, which savors twice the shameful enjoyment of lies?

What we say about injuries must also be understood to mean the deprivation or congenital alteration of an organ, and, in general, any mutilation, infirmity or disease of their incurable nature. But where do the resources of life and the wonders of art stop? It is difficult for physiologists and doctors themselves to decide on this point. We can at least take it for granted.

1 Here, Goucenor Des MoussEaux, The High Phenomena of Magic, ch. 5, 1st d., p. 230.

2 Suarez, from Relig. 1. 2, c. 16,n, 13,t. 13, p. 578: Potest eludere sensus et facere ut appareat caput abcisum, et sanguis fluens, cum revera nihil tale fiat.

3 Simon Maroro, Dies canicules, al. 2, t. 2, p. 121: Morbos inferre reipsa and præstigiis potest, and iisdem mederi, if tales sint, ut subjecta ipsa, vel toto corpore vel partibus læsis aut affectionis, vita adhuc superstite constient, and fabrica cum partibus incorruptis sit integra. If vita deficiency, if paries organum components forma corruntæ, if fabrica dirempta sit aut convulsa, mederi non potest; interimera potest, vitam enectis reddere non potest; cæco nulli ex oculo fabrica et partibus suis corrupto visum restituet; nulli auditorum ex aure destructa.

that the demon does not restore the lost, amputated or dried limbs, and cannot operate instantly of _ true healing, unless the evil is the effect of a evil whose course it suspends, and perhaps also in nerve disorders, very likely to disappear or change under the blow of a moral emotion.

In the case of a real injury, of any organic alteration that defies the power of the demon, the so-called healing consists only in a momentary prestige that makes disappear the traces of the wound and even the feeling of pain. The sick person and those around him may be subject to both clever illusions; but the sad reality soon reappears.

VIII. — There are many accounts of two-locations attributed to Satan. If it were the simultaneous presence of a pure spirit in several places distant from one another, one could absolutely admit, although the contrary feeling is more common among theologians; but the alleged accounts concern human beings, who, by demonic virtue, would have appeared at the same time in various places. Such facts are purely prestigious, and the trick is to simulate the multiple presence by a quick translation from one place to another, or by a fantastic representation at the starting point or at the point of arrival‘. God

1 Zaccuias, Quæst. medico-legal. 5, n. 40, t. 1, p. 279: Parts quae paralysim longo tempore fuerint passæ non secus ac partès jam demortuæ existimandeæ. Same autem esset partem jam demortuam ad vitam, quam totum animal jam mortuum revocare.

2 See Goucenor pes Moussrales, Les hautes phenomenas de la Magie, ch. 2, 2nd d., p. 104.

3 Suarez, by Angelis, l. h., ©. 10, n. 10, t. 2, p. 465: Moderni theologique communiter docent hoc repugnare naturaliter. And censetur esse sensia D. Thomæ, dicta q. 52, a. 2, which absolute negat angelum esse possesses in pluribus locis.

# GASPARD Scnort, Physica- curiosa, 1. 1, ©. 25, p. 84: His non obstantibus, dico dæmonem efficere propriois viribus non possée, ut idem numero corpus sit eodem tempore in diversis locis. Ratio est, quia dæmon efficere

~ of the supernatural exclusively. divine 5123

Only can change the laws of nature, and it is an indisputable law of the present order that the same body cannot simultaneously occupy several distant points of space between them; one must abandon one to move on to the other. No doubt, the multipresence itself does not contradict any contradiction; we have shown it elsewhere!; but the current laws of the physical and human world do not include it: Only God can derogate from these laws by miracle.

It is for God alone, in the body translation, to dispense with the law that obliges us to cross the circles between the starting point and the point of arrival. This law, no doubt, has been freely established by the Creator, but only he can lift it. It is therefore binding on the devil as well as on the rest of creatures, whenever he wants to move a portion of matter; for, as a pure spirit, he would escape this necessity, the angels, as Suarez asserts, being not subject to the present conditions of space. But, despite the independence in which he is for himself relative to space, the demon is not free to change its laws; whatever the energy and the promptness of its movements, he is forced to undergo the natural order and to travel, to carry one body from one point to another, all the extent that separates them.

non potest quod naturæ vires superat, ut sæpe diximus; superatautem naturæ vires ut corpus vel a seipso vel alio in duobus colocetur locis... Ad allata exempla aio, illa vel per præstigias et oculorum illusiones contigisse, ut videnteur ii, qui alibi erant, esse ubi non erant; vel dæmonem absent in assumepto acre corpore représentasse.

Wipo as at 2 d: atar

2,See our 2€ P., ch. 13, n. 4,t.92, p. 181.

3 From Angelis, 1. 4, c.19, n. 2 and 3.t. 2, p. 495: Nec etiam colligiere possumus Deum instituisse ut Angeli in suis motibus eumdem ordinem observe, quando per se et sine corporibus assumeptis mutantur, illi necessita subjicuntur, non ex lege Dei, sed ex necessityate intrinseca, supposita voluntate, qua se accomodent corporibus assumeptis ut cum illis quasi incedant. Hæcautem necessitas cessat, quando per se solum mutantur, etc.

4 Sox Maioro, Dies canicules, colloq. 8, t. 2, p. 259: Utut grown up

124 at a distance, it would be ridiculous to attribute to Satan a privilege that is denied to God himself, because it includes a real impossibility: immediate action takes the presence! But this question will come up again when we have to discuss the magical phenomenon of spells.

IX. — The current laws also do not permit the penetration of solid bodies. The angel, pure spirit, can, no doubt, pass through material substances at his will; but confering on the bodies the privilege of penetrating bodies without displacement, is it a miraculous virtue that God reserves in favor of the saints?

So you should not take to the letter what one tells of the sudden appearances of demons and sorcerers in apartments that offer no edge or only minimal openings, such as the cracks of a partition, the lizards of a wall, the hole of the lock. The demons can, in truth, slip into these places without any apparent or even real exit, and, once entered, take on fantastic forms. But if they take out an already formed body, or if they want to introduce a living body of man or beast, they must necessarily find a proportionate opening to these bodies. To hide these stealthy introductions, they open doors or windows without noise or radiation, dilate existing passages, pierce new exits if necessary, and quickly restore things to their first state.

diaboli sit in natura perque em potestas, ordinem tamen naturæ mutare nequit..; non potest... corpus de extremo ad extremum transferre, non transmissso medio, nect corpus longe a se distans localiter movere, quia necesse est ut movens ac motum simul sint in loco; nac in instanti vel quantalibet celeritate corpus movere aut transferre.

1 5. Taomas, Sum, 1 P., q. 8, a. 4: Oportet enim omne agens conjungi eiin quod immediate acts.

See 24 P., 6:32 p.m., n. 7 t. Dpr 601.

But all this, who does not see it? is purely natural and does not exceed the power of demons over matter +.

X. — Satan has always ambitioused the honors of prophecy, precisely because it is a characteristic note of the divine. He is a thief of the divinity, according to the energetic expression of Tatian 3, he wants to have his prophets as God has his own. It is the envy of the divinity, said Tertullian* speaking of demons and their oracles, which makes them sarrogate divination. Their predictions, in fact, are only natural conjectures, or brazen and false assertions, or astute equivocal.

The fallen angel's conjectures go very far and his pers-

1 Suarez, from Relig. 1. 2, c. 16, n. 8, t. 13, p. 577: It is a sign of the existence of a... vere introducere in domos, usque ad interiores parties earum, etiamsi clausæ sint; non quia posit per januam vel fenestram clausam hominem introducere (id enim virtute nullius annimalis aut creati fioni potest); sed quia potest portas soudio et sine strepitu aperire, et iterum claudere; nam hee et similia per solum motum logalem fipi posunt. Quapropter etiam non possunt humanum corpus intromittere in aliquem locum per foramen adeo parvum, ut capere corpus integrum non posit, nisi nimium densetur vel compressatur, quod sine gravisione et dolore corporis, et interdum sine interitu hominis firei non posit. Potest tamen dæmon celerrime dilatare viam and foramen, and statim ad priorem status restoree quia haec omnia per solum motum localm proud; itaque haec and similia facere posunt. Quamvis autem haec mira hominibus vacuumur, quia insolita and quia supra vires humanas sunt, non sunt tamen vera miracula, ut notavit D. Thomas... and reliqui theologique.

2 BiınsFELDIUS, Comm. in Tit. Cod. l. 9. de Maleficis, p. 412: Nunc videndum est an dæmones praescientiam habeant futurorum et secretorum, ita ut ex eorum revelatione posit homo prognosticare et occulta cognoscere?... Prima consulsio: Futura, si in seipsis considerentur, a nullo, præterquam a solo Deo, cognosci posunt.

3 Oralio adv. Graecos, n. 12, Migne, t. Six, pass. 831: Latrones divinitatis proudi conati sunt,

4 Simon Maioco, Dies canicules, colloq. 2, t. 2, p. 94: Hic sciliket is Satanæ astus, ut omnia sua oracula omnesque cultus imitatione quadam exempli diyini iostituat atque exerciseat.

5 Apolog. €. 22, p. 24: Æmulantur divinatem; dum furantur divinationem;

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126. 2nd section: diabolical counterfacons

picacity is prodigious '. His knowledge of the past, of human nature, of the usual temperaments and dispositions, of the elements and laws that govern them, combined with a wonderful power of deduction, allows him to guess in advance the effects that must result from natural causes. In some cases, its forecasts have the certainty that contingent facts are likely to occur. If these are physical phenomena that are based on determined but unknown laws, or facts that the demon itself must accomplish, for so great a fact as they seem to us, it is evident that he is able to predict and predict them, although God can, through providential intervention, prevent their execution °. But often too, to seem to know everything, he makes a careful announcement of what he does not know. To deal with the eventualities that put his conjectures or false assertions at risk of being false, he uses ambiguous formulas that lend themselves to all interpretations.

Thus, by removing ambiguous responses that adapt to the most contrary events, the statements enigma-

1 Simon Maioro, Dies canic. ibid., p. 105: Astutia, sapientia, acumine longe superant homines, and longius progrediuntur ratiocinando.

2 SUAREZ; de Renge 112; c.8,n.56and 7,t, 43, p. 505 Ma futra contingentia quae a solis causis naturalibus venire solent, etiam raro et per accudens propter contresus oppositarum causarum, cognosci posunt a dæmone virtute naturali, non in una vel altera causa per se specata, sed in omnibus simul sumptis exact cognitis, and inter se collatis, quod facile potest angelus facere: comprehendit enim ornnes naturales causas universi, tam superiores and colestes quam inferiores et elementares seu terres, and tab efficient quam materiales, and future concursum omnium, nisi a causa libera impediantur vel transmutentur; and ita potest etiam dæmon sua virtute naturali haec prædicere... Quæ pendent a proprio voluntate, cognoscere potest dæmon et prædicere, quia habent propositum illa faiendi... Potest a Deo and ministerial sanctis ejus impediri ne id faciat, and follow fiet ut falsa fuerit divinatio.

° SIMON Maioro, Dies canicules, colloq. 2, p. 107: Idcirco responsa queä reddunt, vel ænigmatibus implicant, vel ancipitibus amphibologicis discer " punt et obscurant. Exempla præbent oracula.

and the cases where a high-level knowledge of

The natural causation makes it possible to predict the effects, there is only true prophecy and lie: one is the part of God, the other the part of Satan.

However, God can compel the lying spirit and its followers to serve as organs to his wills and predictions; but then he becomes known by the whole that it is the demon that is on stage and that it is God who commands him?

In any case, between the prophets of God and those of Satan, there is this essential difference that the former always proclaim the truth, and that the latter sometimes predict the truth, but more often the lie and the error.

XI. — Prophecy is therefore forbidden to the demon. The same is true of the knowledge of intimate thoughts and wills, albeit to a lesser extent, because conjectures here are easier: temperament, habits, past acts, attitudes of the body and expression of physiognomy, all of the circumstances, all of these elements help to make guess the silent meditations of the mind and secret resolutions of the will. *

1 S, Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 172, a. 6, ad. 1: Prophetæ dæmonum non semper loquuntur ex dæmonum revelatione, sed interdum ex inspiratione divina...; quia Deus utitur etiam malis ad utilitatem bonorum. Unde et per prophetas daemonum aliqua vera prænuntiat: tum ut credibilior fiat veritas quae etiam ex adversariis testimonium habet, tum etiam quia, cum homines talia credunt, per eorum dicta magis ad veritatem inducuntur.

2 La Luzerne, Diss. sur les Proph., ch. 4, n. 24 p. 26: We will tell about prophecies what we have said about miracles. If the demon can ever make it supernatural order, it is only by a special permission of God; but I am sure that God will not allow him to do such without giving me a way to discover their author.

3 S. THOMAS, 2.2, q. 179, a. 6, ad. 2: Verus propheta semper inspiratur a spiritu veritatis, in quo nihil est falsitatis, et ideo nunquam dicit falsum; propheta autem falsitatis non semper educator a spiritu falsitatis, sed quandoque etiam inspiratur a spiritu veritatis. Ipse etiam spiritus falsitatis quandoque enuntiat vera, quandoque falsa.

4 Suarez, de Relig, 1.2. €. 8, n. 8. t. 13, p. 505: European Commission

fai

In order to make the souls he wants to seduce by means of visions and words more flexible and more confident in his perfidious insinuations, the tempter strives to persuade them that these favours are of the highest and purely intellectual order; he dazzles them with doubtful claritys where the senses seem to have no part; he affects a vague radiance and some inner silence which seem to be approaching the illumination and serenity that characterize the supersensitive revelations. But what he cannot give is the full, complete, irresistible conviction that it is God who appears and speaks, just as it takes place in the truly intellectual visions and words.

We have pointed out elsewhere, speaking of the visions! and the words of the intellectual order, that this character of being able to emanate only from God; it would be superfluous to expand further on this point.

XII. — Let us conclude. There are miracles that the demon would have vainly carried out; they are those who surpass all created virtues. But the demon clings and manages to make such wonders. So even in the presence of phenomena that God alone can accomplish, we must warn ourselves against demonic prestige and ensure, by careful attention, the reality of the facts. Two precautions must be taken: first, to see if there is a miracle; and second, when this first point is certain, to see that the miracle is accomplished. The most reliable mark is continuity of results; what is not

losophandum est de internis cogitationibus et actibus liberis lies humanæ; nam haec etiam non potest dæmon sua virtute cognoscere certo ct infallibiliter, nisi quatenés per signa vel affectionus externos manifestant tur; ut est communi sententiia theologorum receptum... Habet ergo de his dæmon conjecturalem cognitionem, not certam.

1 Part Two, c. 4, n. 40, tv4, p. 497.

2 Part Two, c. 15; n 14, t: 2; ps 268:

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that prestigious does not last, and therefore, what does not last may be only prestigious.

Let us conclude this chapter with a remark of vital importance. In fact, miracles, prophecies and wonders of any kind, there is no claim that one is wearing and that the vulgar — the vulgar one extends far away here, and includes many people who have or believe to have spirit — that the vulgar one, I say, accepts. But when the competent authority intervenes to verify these rumours, and even what goes on for certainties, often the bases are lacking to establish a wise and motivated judgment, sometimes even the imposture is discovered on the one hand, and on the other hand extreme credulity.

When, moreover, it is a cause that cannot have the assistance of God: a declared heresy, a manifest schism, a revolt against legitimate authority, it is assured in advance that the wonders, if any, are not divine, of those whom God alone has the power to accomplish, but of those whom the demon is given to forgery.

History gives us numerous and vivid examples of these so-called miracles which have not been held before a careful and severe discussion. These include the wonderful healings that Jansenists wanted to honor the deacon Päris and their party. Mr. de Vintimille, then archbishop of Paris, carefully examined a first case, then several others whom the appellants gave for first-order wonders, and the result of the investigations was, or was not a miracle, or that the miracle had not taken place. The Orpon-NANCE of the illustrious prelate, and on the whole, should be read on this subject.

4 ORDER of the Sea l-Arch. of Paris, given at the request of the General Promoter of the Archbishopric of Paris, concerning the so-called miracles

, the Rærogic Lerres of D. Taste t. The Benedictine scholar summarized, as follows, the answer to this specific question: If the relationship of the miracles of healing of time deserves our trust: "The party," he said, "has shown an infinite vivacity to argue that nothing is more worthy of it. But for all these reasons of credibility, I have pointed out that he sometimes claims to us prejudices that prove nothing or that prove against miracles, or evidence that is clearly false or extremely suspicious in many places."

This is the case with miracles and similar accounts.

attribute to the intercession of Sieur Pàris, Deacon, buried in the cemetery of the parish of Saint-Médard on 8 Nov. 1735.

1 Theological letters to writers defending convulsions and other so-called Miracles of the Tems. — Avignon, 1739,

2 [bid., 21° and last letter, n. 14, t, 2, pe 1314,

Chapter VII

The Diabolical Counterfeits of the Common Supernatural — I. The Counterfeits

Importance of this point of view, — The demon counterfeits the external and imaginary visions, — The ecstasy, — The burnings and sensitive radiations, — Extraordinary diseases and healings, the stigmas, the scenes of the Passion, the plastic formations, — Long abstinences, — Balsamic liquors and sweet odours. — It can delude the senses in such a way as to make a transformation seem. — It does not derogate from the laws of gravity, but it simulates miracles of this kind by the invisible complication of its natural forces. — Thus the displacement is explained. — The demon can subtract a body from the eyes. — It is mainly by making them invisible that he seems to confer to his suppôts invulnerability. He still protects directly by turning away the blows; the convulsors of the squabble and Jansenists. — The privilege of incombustibility is explained in the same way. — The demon wuses his power over matter as to molester or corrupt: These malignant influences will be discussed with regard to magic. — Summary of how the demon performs his perfidious counterfeits of the miracle. — In reality, he does not perform any real miracles.

I. — We are dealing with an issue of exceptional importance, and indeed, it is in this point that the difficulties of dissolving the divine from the devilic are concentrated.

The reason is easy to grasp.

In the presence of wonders that surpass the forces created,

We know in advance that the demon cannot produce them: there is only to be sure of the reality of the fact and to warn against the prestiges that would present only the appearances. For the manifestations where the rebellious angel ostensibly spreads his audacity against God, contempt for the truth, denial of order, they denounce themselves. But discernment is otherwise difficult when it comes to facts which, taken in themselves, could be supernatural works of God, and which come however from the intervention of the demon. Here, of course, we must resort to extrinsic signs and look in the circumstances, which form as the frame where the fact reveals itself, for the trace of the agent who produces it.

To put the reader in a position to make this discernment, we will point out the main forms of mysticism, which enter into the common supernatural and may be the object of demonic counterfeits; this is the subject of this chapter; we will then describe, in the next chapter, the extrinsic notes that attest to Satan's presence. By bringing these two chapters closer to the one! where we have traced the characters of divine provenance, we will have a complete theory on how to recognize the part of God and that of the demon on this common ground where they manifest themselves in turn.

The inattentive reader may believe that there are repetitions here; it is not. We have described the true mystic before; we now report counterfeits: it is difficult to recognize the counterfeit currency without bringing it closer to the official and authentic currency.

I. — By dealing with visions? and words è, be exte-

1 above, chap. 3 p. 59. 2 SPICES, t. 2 pt 2 pts 3 9th P., Ch. 13, t. 2, D. 296.

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We have said that the demon manifests itself in one form and the other, and that it is there for his perfidy one of the most ordinary means of seduction. It is a way of singing and altering the wonders of God t. It presents outside real or prestigious phantoms °, and, with the help of organic excitation, it manages to bring up in the imagination images whose novelty and vivacity amaze nature °. Not only does he reveal himself to openly propose evil, but he also turns into an angel of light, as Saint Paul expresses himself, taking, according to the occurrences, the traits of Our Lord glorious or suffering, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of heavenly spirits, of saints, and affecting the language of piety to better conceal his traps and the ultimate goal of his lies. It is not only in sinners who lend themselves to his illusions that he realizes them, but in pure and holy souls themselves, usually favored by divine communications. We have cited several examples when we were dealing with evil apparitions €.

1 Simon Maioro, Dies canicules, colloq. 3, t. 2, p. 229: Facit hec Satan, ut pleracque, falsa et insolenti imitatione visionum et revelationum quibus usum ad prophetas sanctos et apostolos Spiritum sanetum sacræ litteræ demonstrant... Certat enim superbia et ambitione cum vero Deo, insidiatur gloriam Dei, nec ulla in parte eo videri vult inferior.

2 ALvarez de Paz, de grad. Contempl., 1. 5, P. 3, ©. 11, t. 6 p. 59: Est (visio corporalis) illusioni dæmonis multum exposita: quoniam virtute naturali potest corpus ex aere formare, sicut posunt angeli boni, et in illo Christum Dominum, aut Virginem Mariam, aut sanctum aliquem exhibitionere, vel seipsum angelilum lucis esse liei.

3 Joseren Loperz Ezquenra, Luke. myst. tr. 5, ©. 6, n. 50, p. 89: In his imaginariis impressionibus callidiora diabolus occlit arma...; imaginatio solet esse cathedra pestilentiæ ubi ipse sedet et perversitatis dogmata docet... ibi omnia sua nequissima tela reponit, offerendo visiones et extraordinarias delectationses.

ounce it

5 See Bizouann, Man's relationship with the demon, l. 11, ch, 4, 1.23, p- 306.

6 9th P., ch.11, n. 9,t. 2, p. 209.

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Speaking of divination and the well-known Are in particular, we will discuss in more detail the knowledge that Satan can provide to his followers, and it will be to deny that he communicates to them in no way infuse science: these intimate enlightenments are God's reserved part.

II. — Ecstasy is common among Satan's superiors or dupes. But these suspensions do not come, as in the divine attraction, from a high and deep knowledge that deliciously fixes the soul on a radiant object; it is a mere fainting that stops the exercise of the senses, or a vague absorption of the Spirit attached to an external torpor of the organs!. "The demon causes ecstasy," says Bona °, "by linking the senses and preventing the circulation of vital spirits that spread from the brain in the outer senses. Saint Augustine believed that the ecstasy of Plotin and the other Platonicians of that time had been of this kind, but there could be no doubt that the ecstasy of the heresy Montan, and of the women whom he led after him, did not proceed with evil spirits."

In short, the evil ecstasy is not a true ecstasy; it is a game and a deceit of the lying spirit, supported more than once, as we will say in its place, by the connivance and imposture of man.

1 J; Lorez EzQÜERRA, Luc. myst. tr. 5, ©. 20, n. 262, p. 410: Veram ecstasim nequit dæmon efficere, quia impotens est ad spiritum ia sui fundo colligendum... In anima vero quae nondum a sensibus soluta est, potrit dæmon ei deliquium materiale causare, and ita hebetare potentias, quod whoret anima lumen illud infusum immediate in spiritualibus potentiis ipsamque ecstasim passam fuisse,

2 From spirit disc. ©. 14, n. 4 p. 269: Dæmon autem ecstasim fait ligando sensus, viasque Obstruendo, per quas spiritus a cercbro in ipsos sensus exteriores diffundintur. Tales leak ecstases Plotini and aliorum illius ævi platonicorum credit Augustinus. Ecstases item Montani heresiarchæ caure muliereulaium nulli dubium esse potest quiu a malis spiritibus orienteur.

3 Simon Maroko, Dies canicules, colloq. 3, t. 2, p. 230: Is igitur čxotacis diabolica aliud nihil nisi ludibrium diaboli.

IV. — Burning and radiation do not at least exceed the natural power of the demon, and more than one example of diabolical incandescence is cited. Something even more wonderful and no less unmistakable is the sensitive suavities and drunkenness through which the demon tries to seduce and corrupt souls. The author of the treatise entitled "AGUILLON OF LOVE", which many attribute to Saint Bonaventure t, draws attention to these false and perfidious drunkennesses produced by Satan, and indicates as a very efficacious remedy not to stop at the sweetness, on some point as they come, but to raise his mind and heart in God, the true and sovereign good.

V. — The strangest diseases, with sudden returns to health, are also numerous facts in the cursed and misleading interventions of demons. As we have noted once, these evil and ineminent spirits often cause evil by direct action, and then, lifting their evils, they persuade the vulgar that they are the ones who have healed: it is by ceasing to harm, obst ve Tertullian °, that they accredit their false healings.

We will see more lawful that possessions frequently take the form of diseases, accompanied by characters denouncing their origin; and, in dealing with magic practices, we will say what to think of demonic healings.

1 Stimulus amoris, P. 3, c. 6, Opera S. Bonav., t. 12 p. 681: Diabolus, pater superbiæ, manc potitatem in cos accipit, ut talibus deliciis illos decipere posit. And ideo cum summa diligentia attendendum est, ut quandocumque accederit talis delectatio, aciem lied in Deum dirigas, nec ab ipso cor tuum discedat; and if delectari oporteat, solum delecteris in Deum. Tunc si a Deo esset illa dulcedo, deberet interndi; si a diabolo, deberet privaria aut saltem remitti.

2 Apolog., ©, 22, p. 24: Lædunt enim primo, dehinc remedia præcipiunt,

The painful scenes of Jesus Christ's passion are sometimes reproduced by Satan in his followers or victims, in order to better cover the fabric of his perfidies and more surely seduce the weak. The historian of Jansenist convulsionaries, Carré de Montgeron, cites examples that we have no interest in contradicting. No doubt our conclusions are not those of Mr. Montgeron, a forceful Jansenist; but the variety of interpretations does not change the fact.

"The most ordinary object of these representations," he says, "is to put before us a vivid image of all that our divine Savior has willingly suffered for us... The convulsive person himself becomes the living portrait of Jesus Christ's passion. He holds his arms on the cross in a motionless manner for all the time that this representation lasts, and the whole attitude of his body takes that of a crucifix. A quick and tender pain, sustained with the most heroic patience and the most perfect resignation, is painted with the most characterized features on his face, in his dying eyes and in the braiding of his body. After a long time in this state, the father of death completely covers his face; the color of his dry lips becomes blackish; his eyes half closed appear completely extinct; his head can no longer stand on his chest... To which we must add that we have seen several convulsors, in whose hands we have formed, before the eyes of the people present, redness or other marks, precisely in places where the hands of Jesus Christ have been pierced with nails."

ad miraculum nova sive contraria; post quae desinunt lædere, and curasse creduntur.

1 The truth of the miracles performed by M. Páris, etc., t. 2, p. 25, 20 ed., Cologne, 1747.

Yes, the very stigmas can be simulated by

demon, as well as other sensitive symbols of favors

Mystiques, such as kisses!', ring, crowns.

"Those who believe and boast," says the grave Bona?, "that they have been crowned with roses, in a vision, by Jesus Christ, by an angel or by the Blessed Virgin Mary; or that they have received a ring, a necklace: they must be treated as the toy of the reveries of their own imagination or of the artifices of the devil, unless one sees in their lives a great perfection, a high holiness, a complete release from the servitude of the senses. He would say the same about the stigmas, which he knows, by some examples beyond dispute, to be deceived by Satan's perfidy."

Plastic formations, mysterious or significant inscriptions can occur through Satan's invisible action, either printing them with his own motion to surprise and surprise the spectators, or finding himself compelled by divine power. This last case comes with wonderful circumstances in the famous possession of Loudun. To the testimony of Fr. Surin °,

1 BONAVENTURE, of profectu Religios. 1.2, c. 76, t. 12 p. 435: Quidam decepti a seductoriis spiritibus, vel proprioris falsis opinionibus, putant sibi appeared in visione vel ipsum Christum vel ejus gloriosissimam genitrim; and not solum amplexibus et osculis, sed etiam indecentioribus gestibus ab eis demulceri. — Cf. Goucenor pes Mousseaux, The high phen. of magic, ch. 6, 3rd d., p. 320.

2 Discreet. breath. ©. 7, n. 11, p. 246: Who is per visum roseo sermo redimitos a Christo, vel ab Angelo, sive a Beata Virgine; aut annulo vel vel vel insignitos credunt et prædicant, rejici debent tanquam propriete imaginais figmento, aut diaboli fraud decepti, nisi perfectissimæ vitae sint, and eximia præditi sanctitate, atque ab omni terina labe purgati. Same as stigmaibus asserendum, quae arte dæmonis fingi possesse aliquot exemplis manifestum est,

3 The triumph of divine Vamour over the powers of hell in the possession of the Prioress Mother of the Ursulines of Loudun, ch. 6 p. 110, c. 10, p. 135: The free mother, returning to herself, rose up on her knees, and, remaining thus, appeared with a bloody cross on her forehead, engraved and printed

An eyewitness and chief exorcist, several demons, as a sign of their definitive release, had to mark prints on the body of the possessed superior, and record, one a bloody and vermilla cross on the forehead, the others the names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Saint Francis of Sales on the left hand.

VI. — Long abstinences command a great deal of reserve when it comes to deciding on their character and their origin. To stick to the regular laws of physiology, health, action and life are difficult to maintain with a total and prolonged forbearance of food. Apart from the miracle that suspends the laws of nature or a morbid state that reduces to inaction, most of these abstinences are only apparent, and it can certainly be said that imposture is the ordinary way followed by the demon to accredit these false wonders. Sometimes this spirit of sluggishness provides direct support for his supporters. An unknown author of the fourth century, whom many believed to be Saint Prosper!, says that, in his time, a young girl was possessed by a demon, who lodged in her goose and prevented her for seventy days from taking no food; but that in the middle of the century, she was not allowed to eat.

in his skin, according to the promise of the devil... With regard to Jesus ' holy name written on his hand, this is what is to be noticed. We said that the other two names that were already there were being renewed from time to time... The name of Josera being first as in the middle of the left hand on the back, Marw's, being engraved, ascended to the end of the hand, etc. etc. etc.

1 Promissionibus and Dei prædictionibus. 4 P., ©. 6, n. 9. (Inter opera S. Prosperi Aquitani, Appendix.) Migne, t. 51, col. 842: Meatus igitur gutturis ipsius occpans, nullum cibum, nullum potum trajicians per septuaginta farm totidemque nocts, jejunium sibi diabolus ex capto possessoque vase exhibituit... Hoc autem puella fatabatur avem quamdam noctis medio appear, quae sibi vre nescio quid inunderet. Stupor tune inerat emptyre puellam nullis indiulis diuturni jejunii fædatam, nullo pallore seu tabe vel debilitate confectam; quin potius rubustam succo viscerum, mole membrorum.

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a bird appeared to him and made it sink

In his mouth a food that repaired his forces and seemed to increase them, More often still, the impostors themselves obtain food clandestinely, as well as attests the story of the too famous Madeleine de Cordoba '.

However, serious authors, among others the learned Jesuit Delrio?, consider as possible that the demon, by secret action on moods and organs, puts: in a state of prolongation of fasting for months and even years, The famous Zacchias?, in whom science was at the height of faith, contends that these cases of abstinences are quite numerous in the natural order, without however contesting that he meets miraculouss, and his opinion is based on too many facts so that it can be ruled out. It is, moreover, today, especially among the scholars, the feeling of the greatest number.

If therefore the present nature of these physiological anomalies, there is no obstacle to admit that the demon does not know the mechanism, so to speak, and cannot, using a technical process, determine them at his own discretion.

1 Görres, Mystique, l, 8, ch. 41, t. 5, p. 130: She confessed that for eleven years she had wanted to persuade others that she was not taking any food and living only from the Holy Eucharist; but that for the first seven years she was eating bread secretly and drinking water, with the help of a few nuns who supported her in her imposture, and that for the last four years she had been able to obtain something to eat in secret.

2 Disquisite. mag. l. 2, q. 21 t. 4 p. 404: Ultimum erat de inedia perferenda; de quo no est dubitandum pose diabolum efficere, ut quis mensium multorum fait incdiam. Potest enim id naturaliter contingere.

3 Qugst. medical-legal. 1. 4, t. 1, q. 7, n. 57, t. 1, p. 275: Acceptatis ergo jam pro veris historiiis omnibus et experientiis a quamplurimis doctissimis viris enarratis,.... jam inde clarissime patet longum jejunium, nimirum non modo quod ad quadraginta dies, sed-ad plumes menses, and annos toleretur, essem maxime naturalem, nihilque in se miraculosi continere sed potius rari; quod quidem in pluribus veritatem habere est manifestum. Neque tamen, his non obstintibus, dicendum est semper jejunii longam tolerantiam a natura esse, sed essesse interdum supernaturalem et miraculosam,

The course to be taken in the examination of these wonders is that which we indicate in studying the abstinences of the saints!, know, that we must conclude from holiness to these miracles, rather than from these miracles to holiness.

VII. — The balsamic liqueurs we have found in the true mystic?, are also found in the demonic parodies ê. Taken in itself, the phenomenon does not present anything that surpasses the prestigious virtue of fallen angel.

Suave odors are rare in the world of abjection; but it is not doubtful that the demon can produce in profusion, to delude the good and attract the evil to the unclean voluptuous. Among the many expeditions he used to instil in Blessed Jordan thoughts of vain glory, was a delicious emanation that escaped from his hands and engulfed the whole convent. But the religious saint who had prayed to the Lord to make known to him where that smell came from, learned by revelation that it was a trick of Satan who wanted to try him out of complacency; and from that moment on, prestige ceased.

VII. — The devil cannot produce on the senses the miraculous transformations that God operates there, but he realizes something equivalent, either by bringing to the reach of the organs the real objects that he carries by his own

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29 MP OLES renn De DUT

3 Goucenor pes Mousseaux, The high phen. of magic, ch. 6, 3° to, p. 337.

4 BB. 13 Febr., t. 5, p. 730, n. 39: Cum essay beatus Pater Bononiæ, tantis eum tentator perfudit odoribus, ut ipse manus suas absconderet... Mox per Spiritum cognovit hoc antique hostis esse figmentum, ut eum præcipitaret per inanem gloriam. And ex tunc cessavit a manibus ejus ille deceptorius odor.

If See 2nd P., c. 30, t, 2, p. 504.

3 3 p I A 4

natural activity, either by replacing by a prestigious action to the presence of objects.

Thus are explained the sight of distant things, the distant hearing, the abnormalities of taste and smell, the voluptuous or painful sensations in the touch: in a word, the thousand forms by which the corrupter of man impresses his body to pervert his soul!.

IX. — In relating the truly mystical phenomena, we admired in the saints a marvelous freeing from the laws of the outside world, and from salutary influences exerted on the surrounding beings. Most of these facts can be imitated by fallen angels, but with restrictions that are important to report.

Demons act on matter with energy, a prestess that seems to subtract it from the laws of gravity. It is not, however: the attraction is not removed; it is defeated by a higher resistance which emanates from the natural forces of the spirits. They carry the bodies from one place to another all the more easily so that they can act together and realize by the number what would exceed the forces of one?. Similarly, it is by their support, which is nothing but natural, that the magicians and sorcerers have the virtue of staying on the water without being submerged.

X. — Flight and aerial ascension occur frequently in the possessed, as we shall say in his place; but these phenomena also occur outside the possession of the possessions.

1 See Simon Maioro, Dies canicules, t. 2, Sagæ, colloq. 3 p. 232. — Görres, Mystique, 1.7, c. 26, t. 4 p. 510. — Bizouarn, Relationships of Man with the Devil, t. 5, l. 24, ch. 2; 1. 26, c. 1, 2. — GOUGENOT DES Mousseaux, la Magie au 19th century, ch. 16, p. 403; The high phen. of magic, ch. 6, 3° and 4° d., p. 419 et seq.

2 SUAREZ, from Religion. 1. 2, ©. 8, n. 4t. 13, p. 574: Pro certo habitent theologique statim referendi, 7th Wapin, possesses dæmones corpora loco movere... Non-improbabile is more likely to have eflicere, vel majus corpus aut velocius movere quam unum solum,

possession, we know the history and misfortune of Simon the

Magician ‘. Invisiblely supported by two demons, he rises up in the air in the eyes of a whole people and in the presence of Nero. While he was hovering in space with the cheers of the crowd and the tyrant, the prayer of the holy apostles Peter and Paul ran away from the spirits that carried him. Abandoned to him-meme, he is rushed to the ground, and in his fall, breaks both legs?.

Demons sometimes exert a similar action on God's servants, to test their consistency, We will see later what is to be thought of the transport of sorcerers on the Sabbath; but here or there, let us not be objected to any so - called impossibility: we would open the Gospel and put before the eyes of skeptics or counterdictors the sacred page which shows us the Savior of the world carried by the tenter of the wilderness at the pinnacle of the temple and on the top of a mountain, ‘

1 Constitution. Apostol, l. 6 (Opera S. CLEMENT Rom: ), Migne, Patr. Gr., t. Four, collar. 930: Jamque a daemonibus in altum sublatus volabat sublimis per aera... Simon, spoliatus potestatibus, cum magno fragore corrugated, ac vehementi casu elisus, coxam and pedum extrema fragnit. Gentiles, 1. 2, n. 12, Migne, P. Litt 5, Col. 528: — SuLrice Sévère, Hist. 1. 2, ©. 28, Migne, t. 20, col. 145: Tum illustrated illa adversus Simonem Petri and Pauli congressio fled, who cum magicis artibus, ut se Deum probaret, duobus suffultus dæmonitis evolasset, orationibus Apostolorum fugatis dæmonibus, delapsus in terram, populo inspectant, disruptus est.

2 Baronius, Ann, eccl, Anno 68, n. 21, t 1, p. 5783 Ad hec de lapst Simonis jungendi dictis auctoribus emptyur Metaphrastes, et. etc., et alii his postales fere innumeri; adeo ut de re quae in confesso est apud omnes, ne fas sit amplius dubitare.

3 Matth. 1v, 5, 8: Tunc assumes eum diabolus in sanctam civitatem and status eum super pinnaculum templi... Iterum assumed eum diabolus in montem excelsum valde.

4 Suarez, In 3 P, q. 41, to. 4, Disp: 99, 8. 3, ns 19, t 49, pi 447: Gregorius, hom. 16 in Ev., sentit Christum Dominum ab ipso dæmone escapesse in templum et in montem excelsum transportätum.., In eadem sentemia is Ghrysostomus, home: 5. Imperfecti, and reliqui expositores, and D. Thomas hic (3 P. q. 41 a 4 ad 7), Ethæc sensia vidétur magis consentanca verbis Eyangeliorum. — Gf. End, Ev: according to S. Matthew, p. S3.

sr EEA E Aa a rs 7% ú à L

From the supernatural common me

These translations are always successive, Dicu being alone. able to lift the law of space after which. to pass from one point to another, one has to cross the intermediaries that separate them; but they are sometimes so fast that they would be believed to be instantaneous. Every spirit, as Tertullian says, has wings!, demons like angels, and their velocity can make it seem that they are present everywhere.

XI. — These deceptions are conceived all the more easily, since demons can make bodies invisible, not by derogating from the laws of optics, but by conforming to them, i.e. by interposing between the spectators and the object an obstacle that diverts radiation, or by producing on the eyes an organic impression entirely different from that which would come from the object. In reality, demons prevent a body from being seen rather than making it invisible?.

We do not think it necessary to insist either on the facts that are happening everywhere, or on the explanation that seems very simple to us.

XII. — It is mainly to this privilege of escaping from the eyes by prestigious illusions that magicians owe their invulnerability: it is easy for a man who sees to avoid the blows of a man who does not see and strikes at adventure. These blows, however, sometimes carry, and it has happened that reached by surprise or tightened in a narrow space from which they could not go out without encountering deadly weapons, Satan's supporters were forced to reveal themselves, or were recognized to wounds

1 Apolog. €. 22, p. 23: Omnis spiritus ales; hoc and angeli and daemones. Igitur momento ubique sunt; totus o:bis illis locus unus est...; velocitas, divinitas crediteur, quia substantia ignoratur.

2 Deco, Disg. magic. l 2, q. 47, t. 1, p. 878: If vero species visivas, ne in oculos adstantium comineent, per corporis alicujus interpositionem, vel per nimiam aeris agitem impediat; vel corpus illud aliqua sibi possibility ratione transformet (hos enim modos invenio solere ab illo usurpari): corpus illud tunc quidem actu non vividitur, revera tamen visibile permanebit.

!. From there came the vulgar prejudice that sharp and sharp weapons are the most effective means of grasping and reducing the sorcerers, as if there were a secret and magical virtue in the tips and blades; to believe it is to pass from one superstition to another; a bullet, a stone, a club would produce the same result, if the blow carried justly. So there is no need to use the wonderful to explain these wounds.

XII. — We will not, however, dispute that the demon cannot, by diverting the blows, confer on its followers a kind of invulnerability. The convulsorous squabble and Jansenists are the irrefutable proof of this.

Elijah Marion, one of the ecstatics of the Cevennes, received the spirit that moved him to strike himself with great stab wounds. The possessed "taken a long and sharp knife, and struck several great blows in the belly and chest; but his body resisted as if he had been of iron, and his garment was not even pierced. All the helpers, afraid, shed tears abundantly? "

What Montgeron ° tells of the convulsors of Saint-Médard is even more surprising. We will later produce the narrative of these scenes, both prodigious and burlesque, and it will be to rule out the naturalist interpretations tempted by some contemporaries of the facts and renewed nowadays, as in concert, by all the negators of the supernatural. Convulsions cannot be revoked in doubt, and modern criticism itself has failed to understand the absolutely historical character of these convulsions. The facts once

1 See GasparD SCHOTT, Physica curiosa, l. 9, c. 38, p. 305. — Tayreus, De locis infestis, 3 P', ©. 62, p. 187. — De Minvice, des Esprits, ch. 11, t. 1, p. 339. — GOUGENOT pes Moussrales, The High Phen. of Magic, ch. 3 p. 144.

2 See Bizouarp, Man's relationship with the demon, 1. 11, €. 8, t. 2, D. 28.

3 CARRE DE MONTGrRON, the Truth of the Miracles, etc. t. 3 p. 702-708.

45 admitted, we think, with an eyewitness whose

Benedict XIV! praised in this point the doctrine? the Benedictine scholar D. The Taste?, which it is impossible to render reason for

1 Serv. Dei beatific., 1. 4, P. 1, ©. 7. n. 9 et seq., t. 4 p. 50 and seg.

2 Theological letters, 21° and last letter, t. 2, p. 1310-1314.

First question: Should we have faith in what has been said about the wonders of the work of convulsions...? I take the same feeling from the public, and therefore pronounce that on the wonderful of most agitations, on the gifts attributed to convulsants to penetrate into the interior of consciences, to discover the past, to foresee the future, to discern relics, to speak of unknown tongues, to heal the sick, to take on oneself the infirmities, etc., we have made lies without number.

But all that has been reported of surprising is this lie? no; and this is likewise generally admitted. How can we doubt, for example, that there was no cure, as a result of devotion to M. Pàris, a very surprising convulsions; that, when the tomb or its relics were tainted, many people were suddenly agitated by convulsions, which ceased at the time when the relics were retreaded, or that these people were retraced from the tomb; that several girls, in the time of their agitations, had received with impunity horrible and murderous blows; to silence many other facts almost as great? It is in front of the public that all this happened, and that there is still a part: friends and enemies of the work admitted to see these scenes have recognized the truth; who doubt it, can certainly doubt whether in Paris Pon depicts comic and tragic scenes on theatres...

SECOND QUESTION: Is there supernatural in the work of convulsions? There's sharing about this. The callans worship this work extend the supernatural to infinity. MM. Hecquet and Bonaire, also called, and some other philosophers, claim on the contrary that all this work must be referred to artifice and nature. The rest of the world is in a middle. Against the convulsionists, he thinks that most of their wonders should be attributed to nature and artifice: against MM. Hecquet and Bonaire, on the contrary, he maintains that there are many of them that Part and nature do not scauroy operate. For me, after serious and clear reflections, it seems to me, from every particular sight and interest, I am convinced that it is to this last feeling that we must stick to it. This is why: =

First of all, it is unquestionable that among the phenomena of the work of convulsions, of which the divinity has been so enthusiastically preached, there is a multitude of them that the blundering operates, a multitude still that are still stinging with all natural effects... So let's go back to that, and then go to the other one who found more contradiction.

First, how can we relate to nature what Miss Thevenet experienced during her seizures? Her breasts are swirling and stinging.

They are as if they were twisted with their hands: Is it natuli 10

without resorting to invisible power, superior to man.. 5

XIV. — Incombustibility is only a form of linvulnerability, and Satan's protégés give many examples.

Are you sure? Are glandular parts, and where there are no muscles, naturally capable of these kinds of agitation?

She rose from time to time seven or eight feet high, and up to the floor; and as she rose, she took up three feet of land two people who weighed upon her with all their strength. Will physicists see here only nature? Is it not constant, by the principles of the famous Borelli, that a purely natural force does not scauroit enough?

Even more prodigious event in one sense, horrific event. As Mile Thevenet rises, the head at the top, her skirts and shirt fold like themselves on her head. Does Nature Ever Have

Nor is there any reason to contain in the virtue of material causes what binds to the convulsors, who, as they touch the tomb of M. Påris, are caught with terrible convulsions, and who, in the very moment they were retirred, became perfectly quiet. Perhaps the first of these effects is explained by physics. But the other effect, how does nature produce?

The wonder is even more certain in some experiences we have done. Relics of the so-called Blessed were applied, sometimes to children, sometimes to other people who could not see, even to people who were deeply asleep; and this application was followed in the moment of amazing convulsions. Do we get those relics back? The convulsions suddenly cease. Is this a disease? Is that imagination? Is this a mess? It is obvious that this was none of this.

There are still countless wonders of cruel experiences that we do on convulsive girls, without hurting them. Let us only report here two or three traits, of that large number that I have reported elsewhere. We beat Ja Nisette on the head with four logs. Four men unloaded with great punches on the head of Marguerite- Catherine Turpin, nicknamed the Crosse; and, with a log so big that they could take it only with two hands, they struck it on the belly, on the back, on the sides and sometimes on the face; and thus they gave it up to two thousand blows. And all this is done without these girls being bruised.

What does reason dictate on these experiences and on a hundred others also some, also deadly? That nature alone has given it success? That's what Mr. Hecquet. But is he thinking reasonably? Is it an example that men condemned to the First Wound were beaten with impunity on the bones? Assume, which seems to be his hypothesis, that the convulsive girls who have undergone these tests without any inconvenience ate the petrified bones, hypothesis without proof and without any likelihood:

Let us listen to the Sieur de Montgeron!. "Here is another aid that, for several years, was performed by many convulsors: It's the fire... The Sonnet, commonly known as Salamandre, lay above and even somewhat in the flames, where it sometimes remained so long that it fell asleep there; and that at other times it put its feet in a fiery fire which burned its shoes and to the sole of its stockings, without causing at its feet any pain... One (other) of these convulsors, who has an extreme fear of fire, sometimes resists for a few moments to plunge his face into it, although the instinct of his convulsiveness expressly commands him. But she is soon forced to obey, because she feels, when she differs, the same suffering as if she put her head in the flames; so that in order to make stop this severe pain she is obliged to rush in effectively. And although the flame never fails to be for her like a zepher and a fresh wind that refreshes her face and removes from her the pain she endured from the first moment, is she hardly reassured... It is still remarkable that when someone warns to put a screen or something between the fire and the face of the convulsants, they do not fail to complain immediately that they are being burned, and they really feel the pain."

Is it not yet delusional? Let us strike a stone with great blows and, no matter how hard it may be, let us see if we do not make any impression on it, if we do not cause any damage. And it's usually that thousands of blows of büche on the head and on other bone parts did not cause any injury or bruising! Imagination unworthy of such a skilled physicist.

So let us conclude, assuming the truth of these facts, which does not seem to be able to be contested, that in the work of convulsions there is certainly something other than nature. If our so-called strong minds play this decision, I'll look at them in pity. They follow their prejudices and I follow reason.

1 The Truth of the Miracles, et., p. TV8.

A few years earlier, similar events had occurred among the convulsors of the squabbling ".

These immunities are due not to a derogation from the laws of nature, but to the physical action of the demons who put out of harm those whose protection they take, and who, by invisible obstacles, stop or divert the beatings against them. The instruments keep their virtue, and the living bodies are neither invulnerable nor impassive; all the prodigy is in the intermediate that interposes.

XV.—The innumerable influences that demons exert on nature usually accuse the malicious cause that produces them. While the saints use God's power over the universe to help man, soften the law of labor and lift his soul up to heaven by relieving his body, the tempting angels usually intervene only to destroy, molester, frighten, push to despair: they do good only to achieve evil. Their usual exploits are the storms they raise on land and on sea, the flashes of lightning, the hails that ravage the countryside, the fires, the diseases of all kinds. We do not at present insist on these points of view, which will be discussed later, when we deal with malice. If we call the voluptuous, the honors, the riches, we will say even later, by studying this aspect of magic, what the demon can give of it, how it deceives and

1 See BizouarD, Relationships with the Devil, 1. 11, ch. 3,t, 3, p. 27.

2? Suarez, from Relig. 1. 2, ©. 16, n. 13, t. 13, p. 578: Tunc enim revera non fit corpus impassibile vel immuna ab his nocumentis... Nihilominus tamen accedere potrit ut alius performed revera consequatur, nimiram ut talis homo ense punctus non feriatur, and ut lapis recta cadens ohlic cadat, ne illi noceat. Nam hec operature dæmon ipse, quia invisibiliter potest interponere aliquid quod resistat, vel ensis motum contincre ant impedire valeat ne ultra progrediatur, vel lapidem alio movere.

the appeal of well-being,

satisfactions of pride. And, in order to leave the magic healings their true character, we will talk about it in this same place of magic.

XVI. — All that we have just said about the evil wonders seems to us to bring to light the way in which they are accomplished. The supernatural exists here only in relation to man; in itself, it is natural. The demon can only act by conforming to its nature and established order, and if the facts that it realizes seem to us supernatural, it is because they exceed the forces and means that we have.

This superhuman action of the demon is exercised on souls and bodies.

On the bodies, both on the human body and on other parts of the physical world, it can be direct. Pure spirits have the virtue of acting on matter!, and fallen angels keep their natural abilities and energies. They can therefore move bodies, change their forms and relationships, and this is all the more easy because they have a deeper knowledge of their intimate organization and the laws of their relationships. Undoubtedly, the power of these disturbing spirits on the bodies is governed by the providence of God, which allows or restricts the exercise of it according to his plans of mercy and justice towards men, as well as the remark of St Augustine?; but finally this power exists and tends of itself to action,

All purely external or organic demonic phenomena can be explained without difficulty. God Leaves

1 Suarez of Angelis, 1. 4, ©. 27 n. 2, t. 2, p. 521: Certa res owns Angelos virtute suæ naturæ corpora movere Re

2 From Civit. Dei, l. 2, c. 23, n. 2, p. 98: Sicut ipsi mali homines in terra, sic etiam illi, non omnia quae volunt, facere posunt, nisi quantum illius ordinatione sinuntur; cujus plene judicia nemo comprehendit, juste nemo reprehendit. — Item, l, 18, C. 19, D. 2, p. 454.

4150 to act on the organs of man and on the surrounding bodies; and these extranatural influences result from the impressions, transformations and movements that characterize these prestigious and cursed interventions.

The evil influence on souls is never direct; it can only take place through the senses.

By virtue of the laws that unite the soul to the body, our intellectual and conscious life only works after an organic and sensitive excitement, and we can compare the body to the soul with a keyboard whose external touch responds to a determined intimate note. The demon knows this law of human organization and knows how much of the body one must touch to awaken in the soul such impression, such order of images and ideas. This is how he puts our mind to play and gives him direction.

Hence it becomes obvious that from the body only the faculties of the soul dependent on the senses, such as sensitive perception, memory, imagination, are reached. Among all, the latter is the most accessible to satanic impressions, because of the greater dependence where it is external senses. Thus it is by this way that he determines the visions and imaginary words, ecstasy, jubilations and sorrows that have something to do with mystical states. But he cannot approach the intimate sanctuary of thought when it is accomplished without shaking organs, or at least without a characteristic sign that reveals it, nor produce in us purely intellectual operations, nor even recognize them surely as long as they are not expressed outside. More importantly, the will that is only self-reliant escapes any direct influence from Satan, no pressure can come from any being created except by means of understanding.

XVII. — In short, all the phenomena that result from a natural movement of physical forces, although man is not able, even by going to the end of his energies, to produce them, the demon, whose virtue far surpasses that of man, can absolutely realize them; but whatever he does, he never emerges from the orbit or the providential order of nature.

Therefore, even in relation to these third-degree wonders, there is a characteristic difference between those which God performs by himself and those which are the work of the demon: the former constitute miracles themselves, i.e. true derogations from a law of nature; the latter, on the contrary, are purely natural facts realized by a power superior to man: they have only the appearance of the miracle. Or, for example, ecstatic flight: divine, it is a suspension of the laws of gravity; evil, it is a simple transfer invisiblely executed by demons.

Let us add, in order to be exact, that the miraculous derogation takes place only when God acts by himself and without any intermediary; if the good angels, in the name of God, carry out the phenomenon, we think, with St Thomas! and Suarez?, that they act in the same way as the evil spirits, that is to say, by conforming to the laws of nature.

But whether the phenomenon is God's immediate work and therefore constitutes a derogation from the law, or whether it is due to a natural action of angel, the fashion according to

1 Sum. 1 P. q., 110, a. 4: Quidquid fait angelus vel quaecumque alia creatura proprio virlute, fit secundum ordinem naturæ creatæ, and sic non est miraculum.

ERDeP Angels, 1.039 DI 409, D: 569: Ex quibus tandem recta compléditur assertio intenta, nimirum non posie angelos virtute proprio vera miracula facere.

: THE DIABOLIO CONTRACTS, which it is carried out without man's eye, the fact remains for him the same in both condition. To recognize the invisible cause that produces this effect, it will not be enough to examine in itself and from the point of view of the energy it requires in its cause, it will be necessary to resort to extrinsic signs that denounce this cause from which it emanates.

In determining God's share, we have assigned the notes that reveal the divine supernatural: it is time to indicate those that characterize the evil intervention.

We will describe them in the next chapter,

Chapter VIII

The Diabolical Counterfeits of the Common Supernatural — II. The Signs by Which They Are Recognized

These notes are obtained by taking the opposite of those that characterize divine action. — General rules drawn up by Gerson and Bona. — Signs left-

— The convulsors of Uzes and Dijon in the 1st century, and those of the cemetery of Saint-Médard in the xvne. — The decisive mark is in the results. — The ordinary fruits of the evil intervention: error, — pride, — contempt for authority, — sensual satisfactions, — abstention and abuse of the Sacraments. — Summary.

I. — To formulate the extrinsic marks that betray Satan's presence, we only have to take the opposite of those suitable for divine action. This rapprochement will not be a repetition, but a contrast that will shed greater light on God's part and on the part of the demon.

"The spirit of Satan being opposed to the spirit of God," wrote Cardinal Bona! "At the end of the 19th century, it is easy to

1 To say. spirit. €. 41, n.4, p. 260: Cum autem Sathanæ spiritus diyino contrarius sit, easy, ex his quae de hoc dicta sunt, dignosci potest; is enim, ut ai Plato, optimi et pessimi cadem ratio; sed, quia vaferrimi ac fallacisimi hostis tot sunt astutiæ et stratagemata, quibus nos decipere

been said about the other; for, as Platos says, the reason for good and evil is basically the same. But because this enemy, so artificious and so deceptive, in order to be able to seduce us and overthrow us, of so many tricks and schemes that we can barely number them, we must deal with them in particular, so that everyone is able to discover them and avoid them, as much as possible."

And the pious author added these words that respond too well to our insufficiency and our feelings so that we can omit them: "Of course, it is a great undertaking that surpasses my ability; but the strength and confidence that subdues my ignorance and weakness come to me from the holy Fathers, who, perfectly instructed in Satan's tricks, have left us teachings to recognize his snares."

JI. — Gerson? sets out, in a very precious paper, the principles that distinguish false visions from true ones, using the comparison of the gold coined: since there is good and false currency, there are true and false visions. And what this author calls visions can and must be understood by all mystical facts. The good pieces are, however, recognized in the following qualities:

and supplantare conatur, ut vix possint enumerari, his per se agentum ut, quantum profi potest, ab omnibus deprehendi and evitari quent. Gravissimum sane hoc onus is mearumque virium mensuram excedens; sed vires ac fiduciam debili and ignaro præbuerunt sancti Patres, which Sathanæ astuias non ignorantes ad ejus laqueos discernendos sequentia nobis documenta reliclerunt.

1 Phædos, vel de anima, opera Platonis, p. 319.

2 De distinctione verarum visionum a falsis, t. 1, col. 45: Is autem moneta ista spiritualis revelationis tanquam aurea, in quinque principaliter examinanda, scilicet in weightere, inflexibilitate seu tractabilitate, in durabilitate, in configuratione et colore, Et hoc secundum quinque virtutes ex quibus sumitur argumentum monetæ spiritualis legitimae. Humilitas dat pondus, discreteio flexibilitatem, patientia durabilitatem, veritas configurationem; charitas dat colorem.

COMMON SURNATURE: SIGNES 455: weight, malleability, resistance, configuration and colour, to which answers, in the spiritual order: humility, docility, patience, truth and charity.

With less symbolism and just as much wisdom, Fr. Godinez drew a brief and substantial picture of the evil perfidies. According to this pious author', the demon attacks preferably souls dedicated to prayer and perfect life, trying to mislead them by misleading consolations, the ease of tears, penances that make them unable to apply to better works and divert them from mental prayer, especially through revelations that compromise humility and charity. These false revelations have the characteristics of inspiring the complacency and intemerities of self-esteem, of blinding to the point of preferring austeritys to obedience, and devotion to obligations; of throwing into trouble, anxiety and discouragement; of making independent, stubborn, indocile; of diverting doctic men and of good counsel to address the ignorant who will praise instead of driving; of giving a composite and artificial support that imposes on the people of good, and finally of reducing to extreme weakness in the temptations of superb and immorality?.

1 Theol Pratica. Myst. 1. 9, ©. 4 p. 365: Contra los que tratan de oracion y perfeccio, mostra mas su malicia, y assi per todas partes aprona molestar, mayormente a gente melancolica, à quien dà lagrimas, consuelo espiritual, devocation sentiente, etc.

2 Gopinez, ibid., p. 366: Las revelaciones del demonio tienen varios afectos malos. Lo primero suele ser una grande estimacion proprio, accompañada de vanidad e imprudencia. Lo segundo, llenan el alma de tinieblas imprudentes, lasquales anteponen la penitencia à la obediencia, y devocation à la obligacion. Lo tercero, dexan el alma turbada, worried, atrevida in orden todo lo bueno. Lo quarto, crian unos juyzios duros y voluntariosos amigos de su proprio parecer, con poca ò ninguna estimacion de la obediencia y parecer ageno. Lo quinto, Huyen de todos los hombres doctos que les pueden encaminar y tratan de buena gana con gente igno-

Bona, of whom we love to follow the trace, also describes the main traits to which Satan is recognized.

It is the very nature of his action, he says, to suggest evil, not always openly?, but more often, on the contrary,

by means of misguided means which conceal the term, by means of

subtle illusions that lead to error. He has the habit of first giving assurance +, of pushing the beginnings to an indiscreet zeal? and of persuading them, at the first effort, that they already touch at the top of perfection; then he pushes to worry, discouragement, despair, by exaggeration of the difficulties of virtue; he throws by recklessness in dangerous situations and violently raises passions at the very moment of peril'; finally, by a

The pueda alabar. Lo sexto, afectan grande artificio en su trato, hablando altamente de las virtudes, con loqual procuran ganar à los virtuosos para que en siendo menester buelvan por ellos. Lo septimo, tienen grande flaqueza resisting to the tentaciones of the sobervia y deshonestidad, con loqual caen à menudo en grandes abominaciones secretas.

1 To say. spirit. ©. 12, n. 1, p. 260: Diabolici spiritus nomine ille notatur instinctus quo lie nostræ suggeritur quod malum et vitiosum est.

2 Ibid. Not semper diabolus aperte aggreditur hominem..., aliquaando enim occulte insidiatur, transfigurans se in angelum lucis et ad vitium sub specie boni fraudulenter impellit.

3 From spirit discr. ©. 11, n. 7 p. 262: Diadochi sententia est dæmonem interdum lumina quodam falso et apparenti animam afficere: quae quidem res, inquis, mullos fefellit.

4 Ibid., No. 3 p. 261: Instinctus diaboli initio securitatem affert, in fine diffidentiam divinii auxiliii and desperationem.

5 Jbid., n. 12 p. 263: In his whom Deo serves incipiunt, excitat dæmon ardens and indiscretum desiderium omnes ad Deum convertendi.

6 Ibid., p. 264: Alia fraud non minus perniciosa quosdam diabolus decipit, qui vix ingressi viam perfectionis, scientes, eos qui ad apicem pervenerunt inexplicabili suavitate perfrui, ea illlecti, repentino ac temerario saltu ad altiora præsumunt ascendere.

7 Ibid., No. 6 p. 262: Aliquando sathan aliquem ad virtutem hortatur, sed eum mox importunis suggestionibus adversus illam excitat, multas difficultates objicians.

8 Jbid., n. 13, p. 264: Vana sui confiditia ac subtilissima diaboli illusione misrrime decepti, se periculis temere exponential, et cum spiritu coeperint, neglecta sensuum custodia, in carnem desinunt.

SEA RERET A D a ia a BAS

= : THE SIGNS 487 insidious mix of truth and lie, good thoughts and perfidious suggestions, he knows how to take on the error and vice of specious appearances that captivate, reassure and mislead?.

To these general indications of the characters of the evil intervention, we must add particulars, taken from the object, the end, agents and the results of these cursed manifestations.

HI. — An act, a miracle, is attributable to God as much as it is perfect at all times. Only one circumstance that hurts holiness, justice, truth, conveniences, betrays another origin. If therefore the object of the marvelous is vain, childish, grotesque; more so if it is rude, messing, obscene, ungodly, it is rightfully returned to the genius of evil.

The end is no less significant. If it is not in harmony with truth or morality, if it is petty and unworthy of God's majesty, it is to another intervention that his is to be attributed. The demon has nothing to heart about, but to cast ridicule on holy things, in order to weaken faith and respect, or at least to intimidate believers with fear of sarcasm. In short, a prodigy that aims to confirm in error, to serve some unavoable purpose, to repaint a vain or dangerous curiosity, to satisfy in any way the evil passions, can only emanate from the demon °,

1 Of saying. spirit. n. 1, p. 260: Ejus detegere imposturas cum sub specie boni insidias stuit, cum vitium pro virtute, malum pro bono dolose ingerit, tunc enimvero difficillumum est,

2 Ibid., n. 7 p. 262: Hunc morem servat spiritus malignus, ut cognitiss animæ bonis sanctisque desideriis, cis astentiri, piasque cogitationes fovee videatur; sed mox hominem occulte aggreditur suisque fallaciis misrrime decipit.

3 BonaL, Inst. theolog. Tract. de Revel. n. 102, t.1, p. 95: Opera diaboli 4° quoad finem, semper ad puerili aut stultæ curiositati satisfaciendum, ad errorem semiuandum, fovendamque morum corruptelam et hominis mise-

IV. — As we have said in describing the extrinsic characters of the divine miracle, God generally uses in his supernatural manifestations only honest, godly men of a virtue, if not brilliant, at least sincere and recognized: it is only by exception that he compels unclean organs to declare his wills and manifest his action. Satan, on the contrary, chooses his agents from among sinners, and these in his eyes are the most suitable for his infamous missions which are more advanced in crime and closer to hell.

So, as a general rule, vicious men are the representatives of the demon, just as the saints are God's intermediaries; and, unless extraordinary circumstances are easy to recognize, any prodigy whose executioners are suspected of immorality, error, impiety. much more so if their overflows are known, this prodigy denounces a diabolical intervention '.

V. — We must also point out those who are the victims of illusions and who, however, believe themselves under the influence of a good spirit. Bona? traces a remarkable portrait of it that we reproduce here.

"Those who are driven by the spirit of evil," he said,

riam tense; 2° quoad objectum, sunt quid futile, puerile, ridiculum, indecorum and infimum; aut saltem nihil dignum and excelsum præ ferunt; 3° quoad modum quo producuntur, aliquid violeiæ and crudelitatis, vanitatis and obscenitatis superstitionis, fraudis ac mendacii admixtum habeut.

1 BonaL, Jbid.: quad auctores, satanæ instrumenta, non inconcussa sanctitate, imo nequidem pace liesque compositione commendantur; sed plerumque vitiis haud indubiis indeficuntur illi auctores; causam enim instrumentalem, causae principalis pulsi voluntarie obtemperando, eorumdem attributeorum proprii participm necesse est.

2 De discr. spirit. ©. A1, n. 8, p. 262: Who spiritu malo aguntur, leves sunt, inconstant, turbidi, anxious, vehementes, sine maturitate, sine circumspectione. Nullius consilium admittunt, propriom judicium veterum Patrum intégréis præponunt, diligint se, increpantes odio habent, peccantibus indignanteur eosque corrigulnt cum impatientia et contumeliis, in rem sibi propositam impetu quodam præcipites ruunt, and in omnibus seipsos

(5a EN

The common supernatural: signs 159 -

light, inconstant, turbulent, anxious, violent, without maturity or caution. They do not receive counsel from anyone, prefer their own judgment to the maxims of the ancient Fathers; they love those who praise them and hate those who take them back; they indignantly against sinners and greedy and abusive; they bow with impetuousness and haste to the things that are proposed to them; in short, they seek themselves. They sometimes boast of their own faults, as if God sent them to protect their humility, while in the meantime they neglect to correct themselves. After the faults that happen to them, or they flatter themselves for the reason that it is human thing to sin, or they either irritate themselves and fall into a pitiful slumber without imploring the help of God."

Let's add a characteristic trait. Violent agitations that throw man out of himself, disorderly shaking, epileptic convulsions are the preferred forms of disturbing mind. In these kinds of frenzy, the various signs that characterize his intervention appear in turn: the grotesque attitudes that provoke laughter, the movements and poses that alarm modesty, the incoherent, equivocal, rude, ungodly words.

This hideous spectacle is usual in possessions, and it is renewed in most evil manifestations.

It is known in which access delirium ancient pythia rendered its oracles: the French language refuses to translate the

quartet. From propriois defectibus interdum gloriantur quasi a Deo missi ob custodiam humilitatis, negligentes interim eorum emendationem. Post peccatum, vel sibi blandiuntur, quia humanum is peccare; vel sibi irascuntur and contabulescunt misere, opem Dei non implorantes.

John Chrysostom * dared to make it, in his indignant eloquence, to the Christians of his time, in order to inspire them a deeper contempt for the supposed wisdom of the Gentiles.

Thus prophesied Montan, in his turbulent ecstasy, due to the feeling of most Fathers?, to the eruptions of the evil spirit.

VI. — These were again the tumultuous scenes twice renewed during the ninth century: in Uzès in the church of Saint-Firmin, and in Dijon in that of Saint-Bénigne. In one and the other place, the demon signaled his presence by strange convulsions that aroused curiosity and astounding to the same degree. We have on the first fact a letter from Saint Agobard, * Archbishop of Lyon, to Bartholomew, Bishop of Narbonne; and on the second, a reply from another Archbishop of Lyon, Amolon, ‘ immediate successor of Agobard, to Theobold, Bishop of Langres.

1 Hom. 29 in Epist: I ad Cor. n. 1, Migne, t. 61, col. 242: Aéyetau roivuv aðra h Mubi yuvý ts ovca emixx0noar To Tpimodi words tov 的Amo)- Awvos, duarpoloa tă cxékn; c0 oiytw nvespa novnpov xatolev vzððóy.evov, xat deu Tv yevntxy atthe Örxduópevov popiwv TANPOÈY tv yuvaixa TS sheep, KAL TL的TNY TAS tplyus Asooav hordyv EnGunyedealui te, XAL appdy Ex Tootoparos ÅQévat, xat ows ev mapowiy yevoevnvv tà Te PavizG qhéysoðar puat. — Cf. Gasparo Sonotr, Physica curiosa, 1 h, © 9, p. 548.

2 APPOLLINARY of Hierapolis, apud Evuseium Cæsar. Hist. eccl. 1.5, C. 16, Migne, t. 20, col. 467: Aiunt Montanum quemdam..., dæmone repletum sovito quodam furore ac lies excessu concuti cæoepisse... Alii quidem ut abreptitium and dæmoniacum ac spiritu erroris actum... objurgabant. Item, c. 19, col. 482. — Bona, De discr, spir. ©. 14, n. 4 p. 279.

3 Epist. ad Barthol. de quorumdam inlusione signorum, n. 1, Migne, t. 104, collar, 179: Cognovimus solicitam esse prudenceiam vestram, quonam modo accipi debeat illud quod in quodam loco caeperunt proud quaedam percussiones, ita ut caderent quidam modo epilepticorum, vel eorum quos vulgus dæmoniacos putat vel nominat... And certe sicut verissimum is quod istæ percussiones esse non possunt nisi Deo permittente, ita certissimum nulla alia virtute ministerante, nisi angelo percutiente.

í Epistol. ad Theodboldum, Migne, t. 446, Col. 77-83: Dixit quod duo quidam, who are monachos esse discerent, detulerint usque ad præfatam sancti martyris basilicam quaædam velut cujusdam sancti ossa...; coepisse

DNS r LE Se A Wai CL DT, QE D

But nothing of this kind equals the so-called miraculous representations of the cemetery of Saint-Médard. There is nothing missing: it is the cause of heresy that stenches strange, ridiculous, amusing prodigies, or rather scandalous scenes where the burlesque disputes with immorality and impiety.

The Jansenists undertook to make it the apotheosis of their doctrines and the justification for their revolt. Many, it is true, openly spoke out against convulsions and help; but they were unanimous in proclaiming certain healings and in seeing God's very reprobation of the Unigenitus bubble. God being always with his church, and Jansenists declaring themselves against the Church, it follows that the wonders invoked by them did not come from God, could only be Satan's work.

As for the separation of healing from convulsions, as the anti-emergenceists did, or, as the melangists did, to distinguish between convulsions and convulsions, it was an illusory and unethical division: willingly, unwillingly, the Jansenist cause was indissolubly linked to these more than strange manifestations.

What was happening, indeed, on the grave of the heretical deacon? "She became," said M. Picot ‘, a theatre where sick people and healthy people ran for the advantage of being convulsive. Men were seen, keeping their clothes only what they could absolutely take away, waving like furious. Women were seen to experience the most violent tremors, in situations that were difficult to reconcile with decency.

in eadem basilica velut quaædam miracula prouri, non sanitatum and curationum quibus ulla indicia divinæ misericordiae et propitionionitis ostenderentur, sed percussionum et elisionum, quibus miseræ mulierculæ sovito in ipsa orationis domo cadere et collidi, and quasi vexari vienderentur, etc.

1 Memories to serve history ecclesiastes. during the 20th century. 27 Jan. 1732, t. 2, P. 335.

I sense $ ra an s r, x aea à ulna rep -462 2° section: the diabolical counterfacon

They had to be left to themselves, they had to be held.

It was said that the spirit of God that was shaking them needed to be settled by man's hand. Soon nearly a hundred convulsors of all ages and sex ran, shouted, yelled and made a thousand extravagances. This is the devout show that attracted the crowd. Curious people, fools, visionaries, all over the world. The press was so big that we could barely get close to the cemetery. The surrounding places were filled; there were whole days...

"The work of the convulsions, because that is what his admirers called it," continued the same historian on another date, "now became a school of dementia and ungodliness. There we see ridicule, falsehood, cruelty, indecency, blasphemy.

"The ridiculous. Women, perched on men's heads, dogmatized against the bubble. Others, acerupies, were bearded to imitate Abbé Pâris. Convulsions are, so to speak, inept. Mental alienation accompanied them very often.

"Fakeness. The examples of this encounter with each step... When one saw that these predictions were not being fulfilled, one kept from saying that God allowed the false into the work to better blind the hardened; a very convenient and peremptory answer.

"The cruelty. Om knows the violent and murderous aid the convulsors were given. She was shot by the four members. She was struck by two men beside her, and was raised up when they were tired; and one appellant assured that this exercise lasted once more than five hours. A writer, supporter of convulsions, pre-

1 Picor, Memories, etc., 17 Feb. 1733, t. 2, p. 353.

There were girls who had convulsions in the whole months, which from thirty to forty thousand punctures on the body. One of them sometimes recetated, it is said, on the head up to a hundred strokes of a twenty-five pound chenet weighing...

Such beings were to be limited in their observance of the laws of decency. So she was audaciously raped in their orgies, t the convulsions were, for the greatest number, the veil of their turpitudes....

"Blasphemy. A sister once said: The savages worship with the sun and worship God; for God is the sun. Another carried the unmistakableness until the Mass was said; and what is hardly believeable, priests served her, and wanted to make admire the majesty with which: this girl committed this sacrilege... Could people who insulted the sky with such impudence respect nothing on earth? So we will not be surprised at their invectives and their imprecations against the pope and bishops... The convulsors did not spare the sovereign more than the pastors."

The wonderful thing that appeared in these grotesque, filthy, ungodly scenes, and whose avowed purpose was to punish heresy, this wonderful, we understand, was the work of the revolting and corrupting angel.

VIL. — It is mainly through the effects that the identity of causes is blamed, according to this word of the Saviour! "You will recognize the tree with the fruits." The most decisive sign of divine or demonic intervention in phenomena where God and the demon can intervene, we must therefore ask above all for the results.

God is the source of truth, goodness, justice, peace; all his works bear this imprint.

1 Matth., vir, 16-48.

‘464 2nd section: diabolical counterfacons

The unfaithful angel, irrevocably fixed in negation and revolt, personifies error, hatred and disturbance. He only mixes with men and with human things to disturb, molest and corrupt; and if he initially affects some outside of charity, order and virtue, these appearances soon pass away, and always the last consequence is evil. By his evil deeds, he reaches and torments the bodies, but it is above all to the souls he wants, and, in the ravages he exercises there, it is easy to recognize his trace.

VIII. — In the first place, among the followers that denounce Satan's presence, let us point to lies and mistakes.

God, who is in essence truth and holiness, cannot deceive or deceive. So if the error is attached to a prodigy that surpasses human forces, this prodigy obviously proceeds from the demon, in whatever form the error appears, whether it concerns the past, the present or the future, the intimate things of the soul and the secrets of the invisible world, or the phenomena of the physical order.

There is only one reservation, but it is very important to consider whether the error is due to the statement itself or to the interpretation given to it. If the statement is in obvious contradiction with the facts or with the truths certain of faith and reason, there is no need to hesitate; it is the error itself. That if falsehood is born in the way of in-

1 Bible of Vence, Exod. Say about the real and the false miracles, t. 2, p. 40: The demon obsesses and torments the bodies, causes infirmities, tries the good: these are effects of his power. If he appears to Jesus Christ, it is to engage him, if He may, to tempt God, to worship the most unworthy of creatures. All that he does comes from dangerous and harmful power. He seems everywhere father of lies, of ungodliness, of superstition. If he talks to Eve, it's to make her fall into disobedience to her God. If he makes the wonders of his power appear against Job, it is to engage him in impatience and despair. Finally, all these so-called miracles tend only to make poor, ungodly and wicked. That is what the power of the demon and his ministers is all about.

The common supernatural: signs 165.

To use a vague, obscure, ambiguous formula, in this case, in the absence of other signs, it is appropriate to stay the final judgment.

IX. — In the moral order, the most ordinary and significant fruits of the evil contest are: pride, distrust and contempt for authority, sensual satisfactions, abstention and abuse of the sacraments.

Pride is Lucifer's salient mark: because of his revolt and his ruin, the madness that brings him to rise remains the cause of his hatred against God and his machinations against us. As soon as he approaches a soul, it is to blow him the spirit of opposition to God and to the truth, of foolish isolation by which the creature separates himself from his principle and his good to be complacent in itself.

"Everything that touches another," said Bossuet! "brings it through the place where it is itself the most moving." The movement by which this evil angel is drawn is pride; and there was never any more violent or rapid than his. So he pushes man through the place where he fell himself; and the impression that he communicates to him is that which was the most powerful in him, that is, that of pride."

The gradations and shapes of the superb are innumerable and as difficult to predict as to describe. However, from the point of view that we are dealing with, we can SAME shades which are as many degrees.

The vain complacency which makes one expand and rejoice in the exceptional favors, is such a natural movement to man that it occurs, if one is not attentive to repressing him, even in the truly divine graces; but, with the illusions of proud angel, it is inevitable.

1 Treaty of Concupiscence, c. 24 p. 338.

An ordinarily effective way to find out if

soul abandons itself to these secret complacencies and from which principle they proceed, is to subject it to. the test of humiliation, by resuming it severely, abruptly,

with a few words that feel a little contempt and even

Worry. With the spirit of God, these reproaches will bring out humility and submission; the face will be able to express shame and embarrassment at first, but peace and respect will not be compromised. If, on the contrary, the demon exerts his influence, he will be troubled, saddened, ignited, irritated, and perhaps answer with imprusion to what he believes to be an insult.

The desire and pleasure of appearing, the tendency to show off, the search, spontaneous or thoughtful, of esteem and applause, the joy that comes from praise, the fear of displeasing, the sadness of incurring criticism and blame: in a word, everything that feels of human ostentation betrays an enemy spirit of truth and virtue.

More importantly, is God far from a soul that would not only be greedy for success, popularity, admiration, but attentive to doing and saying everything that can highlight it; who, taking charge of her own cause, would praise and boast herself, disclose and proclaim in time and in reverse the grâces that she believes is honored with? From

1 J. Lopez EZQUERRA, Luc. myst- tr. 4, ©. 48, n. 464: and 165, p. 77: Prima ergo industria is quod eos Magister soudio repehendat, humiliet et aliqua verba paululum contameliosa vel despecta misceat quin det illis tempus ad deliberandum, et caute attendat ad corum. vultus et ad primos animæ motus, quia quod intrinseus latet, manifestantmount exterius... Hæc industria absolute sumenda non est, quia etiam boni spiritus repentina reprehensione contracti posunt etiam exterius: inquìetari; sed inter bonos et malos erit discrimen, quod boni, repehensi, statim humiliantur;. maliautem, in iram et superbiam eriguntur, etc.

2 SCARAMELEI, Dirett. mist. tr. 4, ©. 17, n. 231, p. 329: Dunque se al-

cuno, dopo le sue profetiche predizioni, rimarrà con istima di sè, e con compiacenza di quel, se si riputerà migliore degli altri che non ricevono tali grazie; se le paleserà con failità e senza giusto motivo: darà segni

de. EN £ es A UT Cat y $ NOT a NRA x es VE 1 PN dx 7 1

The common supernatural: the teken signs

‘These concerns, such practices, if they do not proceed from nature, can only be inspired by Satan, and the wonders that accompany them are evidently his work.

It is hardly necessary to point out, as from the same principle, the wonderful joint with crazy assurances of eminent holiness, of brilliant merit, of exceptional predestination; to vain and ridiculous pretensions that are not in harmony with faith or common sense, and that nothing supports, except the sayings of those who glorify.

In this way, all aberrations, for so incredible and absurd as they seem, are possible: nothing touches madness more closely than pride, and on the other hand, human credulity knows no limits. One has seen a Amount say to himself the personification, at least ministerial, of the Holy Spirit, and nowadays, illuminated Peter-Michel Vintras?, proclaim also the organ of the Holy Spirit and the herald of a new revelation. We have seen fools and villains giving themselves for Christ; such as, among others, the energism of which St Gregory of Tours speaks,

manifesti che le sue rivelazioni o siano finzioni maliziose, o inganni diabolici, o scherzi di fantasy.

1 Baronius, Annal. ecclesiastest. Anno 173, t. 2, p. 353, n. 26.

2 Opusculum on communications announcing the Work of Mercy, n. 15, p. 38: This reign (of the Holy Spirit) will be the third and last... The world has lived under the reign of Fear, from Moses to Jesus Christ; under the reign of Grace, from Jesus Christ to our day, and it will pass under the reign of Love in the Work of Mercy... In the third period, God chose Peter-Micuec as his organ, which he commissioned to receive, write and spread His Divine Communications, concerning the covenant which he will renew with men, etc.

3 Hist. Frank. 1. 10, €. 98, Migne, t. 71, col. 556 and 557: Gabalitanæ regionalis terminum est ingessus, proferens se magnum ac profiti se non metuens Christum, assumea secum muliere quadam pro sorore, quam Mariam vocitari fecit. Confluebat ad eum multitado populi, exhibits infirmos quos contingens sanitati reddebat... Sed hec omnia diabolicis artibus and præstigiis nescio quibus agebat.

And at the very time when this writer traced the history of the Franks, he disappointed the regions of Mende and Puy with his demonic brigandages and prestige.

X. — The contempt of authority is one of the ordinary fruits of pride; but more than once this disorder is also due to the direct suggestions of the evil spirit, which never binds to him more surely than by detaching from legitimate authority. Because of this origin and the perils that these kinds of illusions cause souls to run, it is important, when it comes to deciding on the wonderful, to point out them as one of the most authentic marks of the evil intervention.

On the mind side, independence from superiors is manifested by the reservation and silence with regard to the guide of conscience t, by the repulsiveness of asking for and following the counsel of wise and fearful men °, by an excessive attachment to his own thoughts, and above all by feelings opposed to the doctrine of the Church.

The revolt of the will is less common, but when it meets, one can boldly pronounce that God is not there.

And, in this respect, without ignoring the hierarchy which makes the various authorities subordinate to each other, it is important to maintain the rights of each and to safeguard the respect which is attached to it. The child must submit to his father and mother, the wife to the husband, the servant to the master, the citizen to the state, the penitent to the confessor, the faithful to the Church. To be emancipated from natural, divine or human laws, under

1 ScarAm, Theol. myst. § 531, t. 2, p. 249: Signum visionis non divinæ est, if quis renuat visiones suas superiori vel directori manifeste, aut eorum judicio vel consilio submittere.

2 Suarez, from Relig. 1. 2, c. 16, n. 20, t. 13, p. 581: Quod si ipsemet dæmon persuasivee conatur ne quis consilium capiat, sed se occultet, aut ne ad virum probum et sanctum, sed ad alios accedat, hoc ipso se satis manifestet quod malus angelus sit, and not bonus.

It is a pretext for perfection, not perfection, but disorder, not the sign of God's spirit, but the obvious manifestation of the revolted and counter-distinctive spirit.

We touched on this by speaking of the claim that is due to revelations. ‘ At the present time, we sum up the practical rules which allow us to recognize the true cause of a wonderful phenomenon: a revelation, a prodigy of any kind tending to rise to a natural or divine law, denounce the spirit of disobedience and lies, by the reason that God does not exempt from these laws; that if they are positive prescriptions which the competent authority may dispense, the order wants us to ask for and obtain the consent of this authority before we feel freed.

XI. — If pride is the folly of the devil, the concupiscence of the flesh is the supreme infirmity of man. God, in the day after creation, painted our misery with these energetic words: "My spirit shall not remain forever in Phomme, because he is flesh." Abandoned to himself, the man sank, and slides as trained by his own weight towards sensitive things. If, to this imperious instinct which he has so much difficulty in containing, an external impulse is added, skillful, perfidious, redoubling the attraction, multiplying the baits, man will escape the pitfall of pleasure and voluptuousness.

The devil knows this weak side of our nature, and when he wants to lose man, he never fails to spare him slippery slopes towards these abyss of the flesh.

The immortalization in food and sleep, and in general all that feels softness, * the concern of

3 9th P.,ch. 16, n. 6, t. 2, p. 331. 2 Gen. vı, 3: Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine in æternum, quia

Caro est. 3 Gopin, Practitioner of the Th. Mr. 1. 8, c. 12, n. 26 p. 350: Espiritu regalon,

no espera mucha penitencia or perfecion.

Pet

: The enjoyment, the horror of grief accuses a spirit other than that of Jesus Christ.

Chastity is otherwise difficult than temperance, and as much as God is jealous to preserve from all defilement the souls whom he calls for his favors, so much the evil spirit pushes those whom he wants to lose to the abjections of clarity; he has a proud pleasure in seeing the creature which God has substituted for fallen and crushed angels sink into the filthy bourbers?.

And here, primarily, falls are skillfully prepared by imperceptible transitions from piety to nature, from emotions and attachments of the heart to the shaking of sensitivity and flesh.

In this point, everything is to be considered: thoughts, words, attitudes, relationships, connections, sensitive and organic impressions. The immediate effect of divine favors is to contain passions; the direct or indirect purpose of evil interventions is to light them; and it is one thing to note that the spiritual suavities of the demon are usually to lead to the disruptions of the flesh, and even to the most monstrous excesses. Sensitive emotions of piety descend to sensual impressions; one thinks that one is freed from the common precautions of the Christian reserve, one no longer stands in the bounds and limits of the Christian reserve.

L Galat. v, 24: Who autem sunt Christi, carnem suam crucifixerunt cum vitiis and concupiscentiis.

- What? Bossuet, Treaty of Concupiscence, c. 27 p. 345: Qwa claimed the demon that to make me superb like him, learned and curious as read, and, at the end, sensual, what he was not, because he had no body, but what he made us to be, by reviving our mind to make him a slave of the body, to erase there all the more the image of Diew, that he would fall by this means into a bassness and a more extreme abjection?

$ S: BONAVENTURE of Profectu Religions. 1. 9, ©. 27, t. 12 p. 388 = Sic sæpe mutatur amor which first bonus and spiritualis emptybathur, cum discreteionis and sobrietatis metas excelrit, in carnalem: quia astutus diabolus primo occultat temptisis laqueum, donec amor increscat and tenax fiat, sicut viscus quo capiuntur aviculæ.

rules prescribed by common sense, experience and authority. It even happens that, ignoring the laws of nature, one abandons himself to the ominous turpitudes; and this is, says Bena*, whose thought we reproduce substantially, is the dementia where Satan's clever illusions can bring about, which is claimed to cover the most shameful excesses of the veil of divine revelation.

It is enormities that seem even greater, because they involve a more direct trade with corrupting spirits, or, by bringing them back to pure illusions, a deeper lowering of the moral and Christian sense. It would be to believe, as reported by some Saint Bonaventure °, in heavenly apparitions intended to favor the most shameful delectations. Here blasphemy is added to infamy.

Finally, let us make one final remark about these shameful falls; it is that they are not incompatible with imposing exteriors and true penance practices. The examples are numerous, and are explained by the extreme horror of the proud to confess ignominyous weaknesses, and by the ease given to him by his reputation as a virtue to satisfy them.

XII. — Another unequivocal sign of fraud

1 De Discrete. spirit. ©. 41, n. 413 p. 264: Ebrii ad primum gratiæ sensibilis gastum. in sensus impingent and dilatantur, nect se continent intra limit ab Ecclesia and a legibus præscriptos, ipsaque jura naturæ trangressi in peccata abominanda labuntur, eo ctiam dementiæ diabolica fraud perscti, ut tegendis turpissimis flagitiis divinæ revelationis velamen obtainant.

2 De Profectu Religios. 1. 2, č. 76, t. 12 p. 435: Non videtur autem prætereundum, quia quidam decepti a seductoriis spiritibus, vel proprioris falsis opinionibus, putant sibi apparererere in visione vel ipsum Christum, vel ejus gloriosissimam genitorim; and not solum amplexibus et osculis, sed et aliis indecentioribus gestibus ab eis demucceri..: quod non solum est falsum et sedductorium, sed etiam blasphemia gravis ess comprobatur.

3 Goninez, Principle of the Th. Myst. 1. 8, ©. X1, p.344: Juntò el demonio suma penitencia con suma incontinencia. Great ilusion por certo!

The common supernatural: signs 171.

diabolical is the abstention and abuse of holy things, mainly sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, which, well received, restore and nourish souls, and, received indignation, often become the Seal of their reprobation.

. The frequent use of these two sacraments is like the foundation and witness of Christian life. True, the example of a few lonely people who have spent many years without recourse to it is the kind of life they had embraced that did not bring them within their reach. But, under ordinary conditions, this systematic abstention would be an indication of an enemy influence of piety. For example, to free oneself from the precept of confession, because, it would seem, there were no faults to be accused of, or because one is deprived of the confessor of his choice; or else to refrain usually from communicating, even at Easter, as the Jansenists practiced, and that they themselves told it with praise of the deacon Pâris!; do not attend the Mass and the Church's offices under the pretext of retreat, humility, supernatural instinct, formal revelation, high perfection: all this would be suspicious, to say nothing more.

The abuse of sacraments and sacred things is a more frequent and no less certain mark of a bad spirit.

The sacrilege is for the demon the most effective way to enter into a sensitive relationship with the wicked. It was after Judas had received the Eucharistic Bread in his treacherous and abominable heart, that Satan broke into this traitor?.

1 Picor, Memoirs, 15 July 1731, t. 2, p. 309: He remained a deacon, by a fairly common practice in this party, he spent once up to two years without communion, and meme without doing his Easter. This omission of a formal precept was, among his own, proof of a high perfection, which was not necessary to observe the commandments of the Church.

2 Joann. xii, 27: And post buccellam, introvit in eum Satanas.

Apart from an open and conscious desecration, the wonderful one who would attach himself to the holy things to make it a spectacle of vain curiosity, miraculous communions for example, multiplied to pleasure in the sight of ebony visitors, this wonderful one looks rather like a clever display of the tempter than a touching familiarity of love, and far from providing irrefutable proof of a divine trade, it should rather inspire fears and command the most vigilant reserve.

XII. — To sum up, there is the same relationship between God's action and Satan's action as between God and Satan.

God is truth, holiness, greatness, infinite goodness. He intervenes supernaturally with man only to lighten, purify, raise and rescue him.

Satan, on the other hand, lives with lies, abjection, hatred, jealousy, and he appears in man's world only to blind, defile, defile, and lose him.

From there, these two kinds of scenes where these two invisible agents reveal their identity through oppositions and contrasts: one simple, dignified, decent, peaceful, salutary, highlighting the virtue of the saints and the divine benignness; the other, noisy, turbulent, bizarre, petty, unhealthy, executed by actors suspected of impiety and immorality, of such a nature that it denounces on some side the corrupter of man.

However, these scenes are not always so sharp that they can be first inspected on their character. In addition to one case, even after a careful examination, the doubt glides on the perfect convenience of a wonderful fact, on its scope, on the morality of the actors. We repeat here what we have said elsewhere, that in such encounters wisdom requires that one refrain from deciding anything. God is free to grant a blessing without revealing his trace, and can also stop the demon in the course

-Boli e such conjunctures,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Chapter IX

The Despotic Irruptions — I. Obsession

The hate against God and a crazy ambition of the divinity lead the demon to parody the divine institutions and the mysteries of Religion.—Various forms of these parodys.—L'obsession: how it differs from possession.—Inner obsession.—External obsession and the countless ways in which the senses and ‘rgans are reached.—Does the violence of these assaults go so far as to make man compete with the most infäm turpitudes?—In these encounters, the directors must be full of circumspection and benignness.—They must make sure of the reality of the deity. Obsession is not to be confused with some eccentric but natural infirmity. — Signs and precautions to recognize the evil intervention. — The causes of obsession taken in the subject: sin, imprudent challenges, the natural. — Men can determine it by the evil, and God often allows it to cleanse virtue, prepare for contemplation, and make holiness burst out.

I. — We said that the demon had three ways of infringing the divine supernatural. In the first, he simulates, by false appearances, facts that God alone can accomplish: these are the evil counterfeits of the supernatural exclusively divine. In the second, he operates, by applying his natural forces and conforming to the laws of nature, superhuman wonders that God has custom to realize by a true derogation from the

the ordinary and constant order: this is what we have called the counterfeits of the common supernatural. In the previous chapters, we have dealt with these two forms of evil action.

The third, which we have yet to talk about, is less a forgery under which the demon veils itself, than an open and bold parody. Satan poses himself there as a declared adversary of God, claims the supreme honor of worship, worships hatred, crime and abjection. This parody, however, is still a forgery, not the forgery of the trick that is hidden, but the counterfeiting of mockery, sneezing, blasphemy. It is Satan's religion organized like the religion of the true God, but by means of negation and contrast.

It is important to highlight these antinomies which form like the two poles of the moral world, the pole of good and the pole of evil, this systematic contradiction of divine institutions and processes for the sanctification and glorification of souls, through opposing practices and manoeuvres whose ultimate goal is eternal damnation.

The Incarnation is the culmination of the divine religion: God makes himself a creature for the creature to pay God infinite homage.

After the Incarnation, whose mystery is fulfilled only in Jesus Christ, comes the divine condescendence of the grace to which we are all invited.

Man, in fact, is destined to enjoy God in bliss and glory, according to the extent to which he loved and possessed him during the trial. It is therefore necessary for God and man to meet in order to give one another and to unite one another: admirable encounter, which is called grace in this world, and in the other glory.

This mysterious conjunction is always God who prepares and realizes it, without harming the

Dre t re ie re sat d en fe de pe pa d pr ea aa

freedom. However, sometimes it is God who seems to descend to man, and sometimes man who seems to rise to God; and, except the initiative that always starts from the primary cause, these acts are real and in God and in man.

God approaches man in two ways: by intimate attractions and external excitements that cause him to act and to give himself up; this is the first way that constitutes the present grace; by means of certain sensitive signs, with this promise that man will receive the divine gift whenever, freely and sincerely, he will seek its benefit by using the signs and established ministers; this is the second way, in which it is easy to recognize the salutary institution of the sacraments. D -

Man goes to God by prayer and by the use of the 53 divine crements. hEoia El

Finally, by uniting with God, man does not isolate himself from human society; public life will be an auxiliary to supernatural sanctification, as it is a means for the development and exercise of his natural faculties. He will recognize certain symbols and a common rendezvous those who profess his faith and share his hopes; it is to the authority that presides over religious society that he will come to ask for the sacramental signs that sanctify, and it is in the assembly of believers that he will take part in the eminently public pact of sacrifice.

With a mixture of pride that aspires to the divinity and derision, which braves her, the demon imitates and mocks both this trade of God with his creature.

- By possession where he takes over the bodies and seems to absorb the human personality, it seems that he wants to sing the hypostatic union.

In obsession, he seeks, through the body he sits on, to dominate and pervert the soul, as God, through present grace, solicits it for good and purification.

It stipulates with sinners terrible commitments, setting themselves at their command for time, on the condition that they will be at his mercy for eternity.

Sometimes he responds to an invocation addressed to him; more often he presents himself and imposes his services, always paid for at soul price.

He has his abominable sacraments, his infamous liturgy, his ministers, his assemblies, his feasts, his orgies.

Let us hear about these audacity of the fallen archangel the great Bossuet. ‘

"According to the maxim of the Gospel, man being tamed by the devil, he became incontinent his slave: A quo enim quis superatus est, hujus et servus est: and the Monarch of the world being overcome by this superb winner, everyone passed under his laws. Swelling with this good success, and not forgetting his first plan to match with the divine nature, he openly declares himself the rival of God; and trying to clothe himself with divine majesty, as it is not in his power to make new creatures to oppose them to his master, what does he do? "At least he adultereth all the works of God," says the grave Tertullian, "he teaches men to corrupt their use; and the stars, and the elements, and the plants, and the animals, he turns all into idolatry," he abolishes the knowledge of God, and by all the breadth of the earth he is worshipped in his place... And to what insolence, my brothers, did not bear this rival of God? He has always affected to do what God does, not to get closer in some way to his holiness, it is his enemy capital, but as a rebellious subject who, out of contempt or insolence, affects the same pump as his sovereign... Has he not had his altars and his temples, his mysteries and his sacrifices, and the ministers of his unclean men?

1 4th Serm. on Demons, 2nd P., t. 19, p. 182.

Despotic eruptions: the obsession with

ceremonies which he has given, as much as he could, similar to those of God; for what reason, faithful? because he is jealous of God and wants to appear in all his equal."

These are the monstrous parodies we have to describe. So far, while we were dealing with hell, we were, so to speak, only in the vestibule; now it is the very hell that we must address: may the Savior Jesus and his divine Mother be in our aid.

II. — The satanic manifestations that we have to talk about are divided into two major classes, according to the way in which they operate. Some, in fact, are the result of a pact that puts the demon at the service of man, and the man at the mercy of the demon, — it is the MAGIE; the others are the result of a despotic eruption of the demon that imposes on man an odious violence: eruption, sometimes inside, by which the evil spirit penetrates into the body of man and moves him at his will, as if he were the true owner, — then it is the possession; sometimes external, where the tempter assailed man from the outside as if he were the seat of it, which has called this mode of attack OBSESION.

The following section deals with obsession. The study of possession will complete the next chapter. We will devote another one to indicating the remedies for the evil eruptions of possession and obsession; after which we will approach the horrific magic with its various forms.

I. — There is obsession when the demon torments man outside in a sensitive way that accuses his presence and action.

In possession, the mind acts from within and seems to substitute in the body for the soul that lukewarms and moves it. In the obsession, on the contrary, it is an extrinsic constraint, which, while leaving to the soul the consciousness of his

vital and motor action on the organs, is nevertheless necessary

with such violence that we feel in itself two beings and two principles that are caught up against each other: one external and despotic who seeks to invade and dominate, the other internal, that is, the soul itself, who suffers and fights against this alien domination. Obsession is the attack of the enemy who strives to enter a place of which he is not the master; and this place to conquer is the soul, possession is the enemy in the very heart of the place and commanding it in despot; and this place invaded and enslaved is the body.

There is, as we can see, a notable difference between these two evil eruptions: Tuna is external, the other inner; by itself, it is addressed to the body, the move and the agitation; this one goes to the soul and has the immediate aim of soliciting it to evil. This is why the obsession is more to be feared than the possession itself: the enslavement of the sound is infinitely less to fear than that of the soul.

IV. — Obsession is internal or external, depending on whether the tempter causes intimate impressions- or whether it manifests by some sign its presence outside. External obsession rarely goes without psychological obsession. However, outside violence does not reach or disturb the soul; while outside there is noise and abuse, the quiet and serene soul feels no temptation per se, no inclination to evil. The stories of the saints contain many examples of these powerless wraths of demons, succeeding in excitation in God's servants only challenges and contempt. `

The purely inner obsession differs from ordinary temptations only by vehemence and duration. Whenever the disorder of the soul is so violent and the penchant that pushes it to the evil so obstinate, it becomes necessary, in order to explain it, to suppose an extrinsic excitement,

In that, outside, nothing reveals the trace, one is entitled to conclude to intimate obsession.

As in common temptations, the soul is struggling with the pleasure that attracts and the pain that frightens. What is most important to note are both aspects, or, if one wishes, the gradation of this evil eruption.

It first solicits and fatigues the mind, either by fixed thoughts on which all intellectual forces seem to concentrate, or by vivid images that impose themselves on the equal of the most expressive and absorbing realities; thoughts and images that affect our passions and our duties, which blow us the doubt on what we must believe or hope, the hatred of what we must love and practice, the desire, on the contrary, of what we must hate.

From the mind, obsession descends to this part of us where the movements of passions take place. By acting on the senses, on the intimate elements of the organism, the demon raises appetites that respond to the visions and the attractions of the mind. In spite of this, one is plagued by the perplexities of doubt, the bitterness of resentment, the bubbling of anger, the disgust of antipathy, the fury of hatred, the anguish of despair; one feels with almost irresistible training the tenderness of love and the fascinations of voluptuousness.

V. — The external and sensitive obsessions, less dangerous when they are not joined to the intimate shakings of the soul, nevertheless make on those who are subjected to them, and around them, a deeper impression, because they ostensibly put in front of the enemy.

This action of the demon on man takes on the most diverse forms: it is not meaningful that it does not reach.

The eyes are fascinated by dazzling appearances,

pleasant, voluptuous, threatening, horrible. Who knows not the perfidious and fearful visions of Saint Hilarion +, Saint Anthony?, most of the fathers of the desert, and, in general, the saints who have marked the most in the Church of God.

The hearing suffers all the charms of speech and harmony, all the horrors of obscenity and blasphemy, all the cry and all the dissonance. The devil tired of the most infamous songs the Blessed Marguerite of Cortone, * and the press to repeat them: to which the faithful penitent responds only with prayers, moanings, tears that weep and run away the disgusting spirit.

The sense of smell in turn perceives the most sweet smells and the most intolerable infection.

The taste can be pleasantly affected by succulent dishes, or even by those who are the most disgusting in themselves, and which the demon makes find exquisite; by delicious liqueurs drawn from outside or born in the mouth itself. More often than not, it feels the most revolting bitterness even in the most

1 S. Jerome, Vita S. Hilarionis, n. 7, Migne, t. 23, Col. 32: Multæ sunt temptations ejus, and die noctuque variæ dæmonum insidiae... Quoties illi nudæ mulieres cubanti, quoties esurienti largissimæ appeared dapes?

2 S. ATHASEAN, Vita S, Antonii, n. 5, Migne, t. 26, col. 847: Sustinebat miser diabolus vel mulieris foram noctu indiere, feminæque gestus imimari, Antonium ut deciperet.

3 GESTE, Col. 7, c. 23, Migne, t. 49, col. 700: Tanta namque erat eorum feritas, ut vix pauci and admodum stabiles atque ætate provecti tolerare homeem solitudinis exist. Siquidem in ipsis coeænobiis in quibus commorabantur octo vel decem, ita eorum atrocitas grassabatur, and frequent ac visibiles sentebantur agressus, ut non alderent omnes pariter noctibus obdormire, sed vicissim aliis degustantibus somnum, alii vigilias celebrantes, psalmis and orationibus, seu lectionibus inhærebant.

4 F. Juncta, BB. 22 febr., t. 6 p. 340, n. 178: Sectando per celam orantis et flentis, cantavit turpissimas cantationes, and Christi famulam lacrymantem et se Domino commendantem procaciter invocabat ad cantum..; tempterem precibus et lacrymis repulit ac ejecit.

chosen or even outside the use of food. It is also not uncommon for the demon to mix with the eating of disgusting things, the swallowing of which is impossible or very perilous, pins, for example, needles, fragments of glass, filth of all kinds.

The touch, spread throughout the body, is affected by Satan in various ways, by voluptuous sensations or pains of varying intensity, often even by blows, tears whose traces persevere and demonstrate to the most skeptical that these impressions are not purely imaginary. Blessed Christine de Stommelen! is a memorable example of these evil obsessions in all forms.

For pure souls who fear above all God's offense, abuse is nothing compared to oppression that suspends the duties of piety and threatens the preservation of virtue. Quite frequently, the demon, at the time of the confession, warns himself to prevent the use of the word and to bind the exercise of the language. The head, arms, legs, all parts of the body, in a word, can undergo this despotic action and perform movements that repulse the soul.

Whatever these excesses may be, the resulting external acts are attributable to man only as much as he agrees. But it is not always easy to decide to what extent one has freely succumbed to the misguided suggestions and impulses produced by the obsessive spirit.

VI. — What disconcertes and frightens above all else is that the demon can push violence to the last turpitudes.

However, there is a need to distinguish here.

1 Pierre de Dacie, BB. 22 Junii, t. 25, p. 276 et seq.

If it is an absolutely passive oppression resulting from an external constraint or from an extreme and involuntary exaltation of the imagination, it is found not only in sinners in punishment for their faults, but also in pure souls that God makes come out of this strange furnace, where they believe themselves to be in a burglary, plunged into garbage.

But can violence go so far that the patient is both the instrument and the victim?

Schram does not admit that such a heinous tyranny can ever reach the obsessed, especially if it is right? According to Gravina, of which Saint Alphonse of Liguori? holds opinion as probable, it is possible.

1 ScurAM, Theol. myst. § 233, sch. 3 and 4, t. 1, p. 408: Quæri potest utrum dæmon per turpem concubitum posit violenter oppressere marem vel feminam cujus obsessio permissa sit ob finem perfectionis et contemplationis acquirendæ... Ego ipse rains inveni which, quamvis de admitsis sceleribus dolerent, and special nefarium diaboli commercium exsecrarentur, tamen illud pati cogebantur inviti. Nec miretur reader quod Deus talia peccatoribus permittat in eorum criminum pænam... Quid autem dictum erit de animabus puris et castimonia maxime præditis? From his dico quod verum concubitum ad exercitium heroicæ virtutis a Deo aliquando permisum esse, and mihi et aliis prudentibus et doctis viris optime compertum estnam hujusmodi viri ac mulieres aggressorem incubum aut succubum omni via se repellere solent; etsi arcere nequeant, longe sunt ab omni consenfu.... Hujusmodi concubitus, quoad furi potest, imaginarie potius quam physiosice and realiter peractos credentum est. Dixi quoad proud potest: nam aliquando hoc credi non potest; sunt enim personæ aliquae probæ et sanæ lie, de quibus observatoire in aliis sui operibus a proprio phantasia nunquam fuisse illusas, and tamen affirming asseveranter vere empirere, non mente, sed oculis corporeis, personam ad se turpiter accedentem eamque peragentem experiri quae turpe esset référre.

2? Scuraw, Theol. myst. $233, t. 1, p. 405: Deus nunquam permittit dæmoni obsidenti ut abutatur corpore obsessi, maxime boni et perfecti, cogendo illum ut ipse propris manibus et membris cooperetur ad peccata externa, præcipue in materia venerea, etiam corde nolens consente: quod, licet fioni posset ex natura rei ac attenta diaboli potestate et malitia, nunquam tamen profi potest ex lege Dei talia non permissuri.

3 Praxis confess. c. 7,8 7, n. 144, p. 452: Hic autem fit dubium an posit dæmon, permittent Deo, absque hominis culpa manus illius admovere ad se tacticus polluterendum? Affirmat pater Gravina dominicanus, et quide probabiliter; si enim valet dæmon corpus alicujuus totum movere, ut nar-

Whatever it is, there is far from this last feeling of Molinos!'s shameless assertions, reproved by Innocent XI; for, if we read carefully the formulas of the Spanish Quietist, we will see that he approves and recommends, as a means of perfection, a voluntary passivity that does not differ in any way from the consent at least tacit, while, in the true mystics, it is a horrible constraint that the soul undergoes outside, despite the heroic resistance that it opposes to the inside.

VIT. — The direction of the souls so tried must be full of circumspection: and of mansupaction. Assuming true lobsession, we should not hasten to impute to the will the movements and deregulated acts carried out externally by these unfortunate victims of Satan; these excesses may seem voluntary without being in reality, and to make those who suffer them responsible would push them to the end, all of them the worst, of despair. On the other hand, human infirmity is such that all failures are incredible. In many cases, if the fall is not complete, it is at least partial or indecisive. How can we discern the part of the tempter and that of man? The full certainty of the fall or the resistance eliminates, we understand, any hesitation: there can be only questionable cases.

However, the rule to follow in these difficult circumstances is this: The usual horror of sin, especially

Simone mago ope dæmonis in aerem sublato, non potrit cur and manum? Præterea, if dæmon potest alicujus commovere linguam ut invitus proferat obscena. verba aut blasphemias contra Deum, quidni manus ut turpia patrentur?

1 Comment. 47: Cum hujusmodi violentiæ occurrent, sinere oportet ut Satanas operatur, nullam adhibendo industriam nullum propriom conatum, sed permanere debet homo in suo nihilo; and etiamsi séquantur pollutiones et actus obsceni propriois manibus, etiam pejora, non opus est seipsum worriede, ete. — Item prop. 41-51.

2 SCARAMELLI, Dirett. mist. tr. 5, ©. 11, n. 124, p. 386: Tenga dunque

of the sin to which the temptation which is the object of doubt is a presumption which has not been consented. On the contrary, if the obsessed person is in the habit of not resisting temptations in general, or in particular the one involved, in this case the probabilities are for the fall. "So let us conclude, with Scaramelli', with the general doctrine that theologians teach us on this subject, and which we contain in the following principles: when the person who doubts whether he has stopped at an inner temptation has a broad conscience and often succumbs to these suggestions, the presumption of guilt is against him, so that he himself must judge himself guilty. When, on the contrary, it is such a delicate conscience that it usually rejects all evil thoughts and affections, the presumption is in its favour; so it must usually look at itself as free of full and deliberate consent."

HIV. — The great danger is to take eccentric exaltations of temperament or the feints of imposture for a diabolical obsession. In principle, to challenge the fact and frequency of obsessions is to testify to a great ignorance of the world of souls; but we must beware of falling into the opposite excess, which would be to see the demon everywhere; and in the order of the facts, it is better to exceed by reservation than by credulity. Women?

he dirttore questa dottrina commun tra Teologi, che qualunque volta una persona timorata, che aborre sopra ogni male il peccato, and lo fugge con gran cautala (e tali sono senza fallo l的anime di cui qui ragioniamo), teme, sospetta, dubita di aver dato consenso a qualche tentazione, o non vi è è tal consenso, o non è tale che giunga a formare grave colpa.

1 Dirett. ascet. tr. 2, a. 11, ©. 4, n. 256, t. 4 p. 400. — Trad. de M. J.J. RUDEAU, t. 2, p. 491.

2 S. Licuori, Prax. Confess. n. 120, p. 150: Cæterum consilium is semper de talibus invasionibus suspicionem habere, non enim negandum majorem earum partem esse aut fictiones, aut imaginationes, aut infirmitates, præsertim in mulieribus.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: Obsession. 187 _ Above all, they are subject to caution in such matters: the vivacity of their imagination and their extreme impressionability expose them to transform into external realities their intimate emotions and concussions, not to mention the deceptions they lead with an incomparable art.

The most ordinary misconceptions are to confuse a purely natural infirmity with obsession. There are strange diseases which have the effect of throwing the trouble into the organic part of man that touches the intellectual and moral world, give delirium without fever and cause in the imagination impressions so vivid that one is tempted to take them for reality!.

IX. — In order to escape, as far as possible, such contempts and to recognize the part to be done with natural causes, it is necessary to take the advice of conscientious doctors, enlightened, but not systematically declared against all supernatural things: experience shows that these kinds of people stiffen themselves against the very evidence.

It is not enough to see that the cause of these physical and moral disturbances is extranatural, and consequently evil, to say that these visions and impressions come from outside realities. Most often they are purely fantastic: the obsessed are alone in seeing, hearing, feeling, when around them nothing strikes the senses of the spectators. Moreover, it is not important to decide whether the action of the demon is purely internal or external, if not for the certainty of its presence.

When everyone sees and hears, or sees the invisible hand translation of an apparent object, it is a clear sign of the reality and external character of the obsession.

1 Scuram, Theol. myst. & 228, t. 1, p. 401: Sæpissime, quae putantur - obsessive daemonies, non sunt nisi morbi naturales, aut naturales imaginées, vel etiam inchoata aut perfecta amentia. Quare caute omnino procedendum, usguedum per specialissima signa de obsessione constet.

LL Sort Y AND

Similarly, when the blows leave wounds or ostensible marks, there can be no doubt that they leave the demon; especially if the evil is suddenly and miraculously healed by God, as is often seen in the lis- _ tere of holy souls. However, even in the case of visible traces, there is no clear evidence that these injuries were done with any device, in any way that is believed to be visible; there may be nothing but pain and wounds. The mode doesn't matter, when the fact is constant and unquestionable.

Thus, to sum up the authentic characteristics of obsession, the evil intervention is sufficiently accused when it reveals itself by signs visible to all, by external abuse which cannot come from any natural cause, and when the person who is the subject of it presents all the guarantees of self-possession, of self-incrimination, with greater reason for holiness.

X.—A number of causes can be attributed to obsessiveness, taken from the subject, from men and from God. We are only indicating them here, reserving ourselves to discuss them with more timely and extended to the place of possession.

On the subject side, the ordinary cause of evil assaults is sin. It is a salutary atonement that gives an idea of hell and brings God closer by inspiring Satan's horror.

t Scuram, Theol. myst. § 229, t. 1, p. 402: Si vulnera a dæmone inflicta soudio a Deo senentur, satis prudenter judicatur de animabus justis: quod ejusmodi cruciatus et cruciandi modus non sint juxta regulare naturæ ordinariam.

2 Scunaw, ¿bid. Sehol. Note P. Reguera, in Praw. Th. myst., t.2, p.753, quod aliquado instrumenta, cruciatus et vulnera, quibus dæmon obsidens obsessos vexat, sint physica et realia; aliquado cruciatus et vulnera sunt realia, sed non instrumenta, quaæ solum imaginariy sutentur; aliquado etiam: cruciatus et vulnera imaginaria sunt, sed dolor physiosice sentitur et vestigium aliquod plagarum physioce manet, perinde ac si cruciatus physici leak,

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: The Obsession 189 The reckless challenges can determine Satan's violence. There are several examples of these imprudences that a truly humble soul must never afford.

Can the natural offer predispositions to the evil assaults? — If it is purely inner obsession, it is not doubtful that the character and temperament cannot give hold to Satan's importunities, which assails each by his weakest side; and as the ordinary effect resulting from these attacks and preparing for falls, is to make the melancholic temperaments of all are most exposed to these violences of the tempter!

But if it is external manifestations, the demon finds no more openness in one complexion than in another, in the sense that at least it can come to these excesses only by express permission from God, and that God, in these licenses granted to obsessive spirits, obeys other laws than those that promote fall and threaten salvation.

XI. — Obsession can come from human wickedness and be the result of a mischievous one. The question will come back with a repetition of difficulties about possession. What we shall say will then apply, with the right reservations, to the much less violent lobsession.

Finally, obsession is often a trial that God sends to righteous souls to cleanse, activate and consume their virtue. We have said elsewhere, in describing the passive purifications that have at the contemplation, that the obsession

1 Zaccuias, Quæst. medic, leg. 1. Four, title. 1, q. 8, n. 32, t. 7 p. 279: Idcirco dæmon humor melancholico Gaudere dicitur, quia ii qui eo humore exuberant, maxime sunt timidi et imaginosi, and sic fabilius a dæmone obsi-

Denture.

The devilic was regularly part of these means of sanctification. But, regardless of any vocation to contemplative life, the devilish assault is very common in the history of holy souls. From Job to the venerable parish priest of Ars, there may not be a saint who had suffered him.

Chapter X

The Despotic Irruptions — II. Possession

What does possession consist of? — We do not want to demonstrate the possibility and existence of it to the unbelievers. — Proofs of authority and experience provided to believers. — Heavenly spirits, blessed souls, suffering or damned, do not operate possession: the fallen angels are the sole authors of it. — Several demons can help to possess one individual. — The same demon can possess several subjects successively, and perhaps even simultaneously. — The possessor spirits represent various vices. — In whatever form they manifest themselves, their presence may be present. is circumscribed in the body of the possessed, and, if they tire the soul, it is by obsession. — Possession does not take the union either natural or hypostatic of demons with the body, but only a simple influence of movement. — In this motor action, one must distinguish crisis and intervals of calm: soul in one and the other state; description by the Father. Suffering from His Interior during Possession. — Possession is frequently maintained in the form of sickness. — It is not always continuous. — Seating of the demon in the body of the possessed. — Symptoms of the demonic invasion. — The causes of possession in the subject are demand and sin, either mortal or venial; organic and natural dispositions are for nothing. — Men can determine it by means of punishment, malice and contagion. — 11 are other causes of which God reserves the secret, and which usually derive from his purposes of mercy, of mercy, of mercy, of mercy, and of death. righteousness and wisdom over men. — Authentic signs and some of possession.

I. — The second form of demonic eruption is the

possession. Possession is invading by the demon of the body

E i s = £ R If D TES

192 , whose organs he moved in his name and at his will, as if this body had become his own.

Thus, in possession, the demon introduces and resides in the inside of the body he torments, he acts there and speaks in master, he treats it as his property. From there, as we have already said, the name of possession given to this despotic eruption, and that of possessed ones by which they are referred to as those who suffer it. They are also called demonic, because they are under the dependence of the demon; enerqumens, because they are moved by the spirit that is within themselves; and often as obsessed, though this term expresses more directly the external assaults?.

Thyreus, who enjoys great authority in the matters we deal with, teaches that possession almost always prevails these two things: the presence of demons in man and the power they have to exert upon him a tyrannical action. In fact, possession exists only as much as an evil spirit penetrates and settles permanently.

1 In Greek, evspyoüuevoc, of epieoux, passive of epyew, act, and preposition èv, în, within. To the Greek word evepyodwevos answers the Latin word arplitius, used by St Augustine, and more frequently in the lower Latinity. The Greek evepyoÿüuevos expresses better the violence that the demon exerts, and the Latin arreptitius (of arripio, arreptus) the one that man undergoes.

- What? Scuram, Theol. Myst. $214, schol. 1, t. 1, p. 376: Quamquam, secun-

dum communem loquendi usum, quicumque sunt a dæmone possessi etiam obsessi dicantur, and obsessi omnes possessi vocentur et energumeni: in rigore tamen et secundum vocabuli proprietatem, valde inter se differunt. Nam obsessi proprie sunt illi in quibus daemon no est, sed qui tamen ab eo extra existe vexantur et afflictur. Possessi vero dicuntur in quibus dæmon est, varias operations in eis exercise eosque, Deo permittent, torquet. Hi possessi aliis nominibus etiam vocantur: 1° Dæmoniaci, eo quod sub dæmonis potestate sint constituti; 2° Energumeni, id est, vexati: quia a dæmone possidente torquenteur; 3° Arreptitii, quia inviti ad plura fafienda vel potius patienda a dæmone arripuntur; 4° Maleficiati, if ope malefciorum a dæmone posidenteur, -3 De dæmoniacis, p. 1, ©. 2, n. 2, p. 5: Ego vero duo plerumque necessaria esse dinerim: unum est utin hominibus ipsis dæmones sint; alterum ut etiam -potestatem quamdam in eosdem accesseperint. Horum si alterum desit, non bene homines a daemonibus obsideri diximus.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: POSSESSION 193 in a living body; and what would be the purpose of this invasion and dwelling, if not to harm the subject who is suffering it or those who are approaching it? However, the demon can remain veiled and silent for a longer or shorter time, in order to better secure his perverse purposes, and sometimes it takes the power of exorcism to force him to declare himself. The common law is that he soon betrays his presence, and it is certainly a constant law that sooner or later he reveals himself by the violence that accuses him of taking possession and attests his identity.

The demon can also invade and occupy ab intrinseco living animals, trees, plants, and even inanimate objects, such as statues?, furniture 3, houses; this is a kind of possession, but misspoken, this word being particularly reserved to designate the intrinsic domination in the human body: it is above all on man, on man still free from his destiny, that the demon wants to act as master.

This despotism has enough to inspire horror. The unfortunate ones of whom Satan invades and occupies the organs are delivered to all the accesses of rage, blasphemy, and indecency. At the paroxism of the crisis, they are seen rolling down under the guise of the darkest despair, grinning teeth, breaking like mad men all that resists them, betraying by their attitudes and cclaimers the audacity, anger, revolt, impiety, the frightfulness of hell, disconcerting and throwing into the stupor by the unexpected of their questions and the suddenness of their answers, by the mordant and cynicism of their mockery and the hateful violence of their curses. Sometimes an invisible force removes them and precipitates them like an inert mass, pushes them irresistibly

1 ORIGIN, contra Celsum, lib. 7, n. 67, Migne, t. 11, Col. 1515. 2 Goucenor pes Mousseaux, The high phen. of magic, ch. 4. 3 See below, ch. 21, the scenes of the rotating tables.

In the flames or in the abyss!; sometimes they cast away, either by the mouth, or by any other part of the body, snakes, spiders or other repulsive animals, stones, pieces of iron, needles, knife blades, bones, thorns, glass debris, hair or hair pelotes, all kinds of filthy materials; their lips and nostrils escape from flames, smoke, pestilential exhalations?. Who would not think, by attending such strange shows, that it is not the man who speaks and acts, but the enemy spirit of God and man, who usurps in man even the use of his members?

II. — Is possession, as we have just defined it, possible? Is it credible that a foreign mind can, without breaking the vital bond that binds the soul to the body, introduce itself into this body, substitute it for the soul, if not in its invigorating functions, at least as a motor principle; shake the limbs, move according to its whims the organs of the senses and more powerfully than the soul itself would? And such a strange usurpation supposedly possible, can God thus deliver man still in trial, the innocent man above all, to a terrible tyranny that already holds from hell?

In discussing the intimate nature of possession and the causes that determine it, we will show that it does not imply any impossibility, either metaphysical or moral, and that, by authorizing it, God does not deliver man to Satan's mercy. At present, we do not want to

1 Matth. xvu, 14: Sæpe cadit in ignem and crebro in aquam.

- What? Simon Maioro, Dies canicules, de sagis, coll. 3, t. 2, p. 307: Omnium prodigiosissimi mihi emptyur morbi illi, quando per os vel imum gutturem ejicit æger spinas, ossa, lgna, saxa, frusta vitrorum, acus, cultros et alia ferramenta, glomos pilorum, pannos, setas, cornu lucernae, and hujusmodi, quae vel comixtione vel aliener in corpus immitti potuisse vietur impassile,

to deer that the fact of this occupation of man by demons. In any way and for whatever reason, this fact is of unquestionable certainty, of a certainty of faith +.

But let the reader allow us to remind here who we are talking to. It is not to the unbeliever who contests the existence of the invisible world, the possibility of miracle, the authority of holy books, the testimonies of tradition, the facts of history that contradict his theories. And if someone complains that we don't write for everyone, we will tell him that any scientific demonstration has a beginning, progress and a climax: a beginning to expose the principles, a progress where applications take place, a climax that formulates and justifies the highest conclusions.

In the order of theology, mysticism undoubtedly occupies the highest point. It would be a nonsense, just as if we were approaching the science of mathematics, not by the elementary data of arithmetic, but by the highest problems of infinitesimal calculus; medicine, by the most delicate complications of therapeutics, before having exposed the first notions of anatomy, physiology, nosiology, pharmaceuticals; or, also, jurisprudence, not by preliminary study of law and laws, but by the extreme sinuousities of the procedure.

By standing and enclosing ourselves in our subject, we can only address ourselves to believers, that is to say, to those who worship the divine word of the Scriptures, bow to Christian tradition, obey the Church, do not subordinate common sense and history to systems.

1 Scuram, Theol. myst. $ 214, schol. 2, t. 4 p. 376: I'm sure it's true.

P d aoa eht cn en

196 . Let the skeptic at his ease assertions that go beyond the sphere where he pleases to lock himself up; we are now opposed to his laughter only the sweet gaze of pity, and, while waiting for him to be moved for mysticism, we are referring him to the catechism of common sense and faith.

III. — Who among the believers would want to challenge the fact of evil possessions ‘? The Gospel presents a very large number of examples, and it is not one of the least characters of the divine mission of Jesus Christ that the sovereign empire with which he commanded the unclean spirits, forced them to unmasking themselves, to speak or to silence, and finally to come out of the bodies they tormented. The multiplicity and evidence of these wonders are such that the scribes and Pharisees, unable to revoke them in doubt, come to say that the Saviour was operating against the demons by Beelzebub, prince of demons. And Jesus confuses them with this simple answer: "If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?"

And as some rationalistic exegeles have done, it is not imagined that these possessions were diseases which the vulgar attributed to the malignant influences of the devil: for Our Lord directly calls upon demons, who respond*, or the demons call upon Christ, the Son of God, who imposes silence on them." And when the

1 D. Carmer, News essay. Diss. on possess. and obsess., art. 2, p. 89: The feeling that supports the reality of the demon's possessions has for him Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, the Jews, the pagans, the elders and the moderns: how to stand against such authority?

2 Lukes Xi, 18.

3 Mark. v, 9: And interrogating eum: Quod tibi nomen est? And say: Legio mihi nomen est, quia multi sumus.

4 Mark. 1, 95: And comminatus is ei Jesus, saying: Obmutesce and Homine Exi. — in, 11 and 142: And spiritus immundi, quom illum emptybant, procidbant ei, and cllamabant, dicent: You're Filius Dei. And vehementer comminabatur eis did not manifest illum.

Despotic eruptions: possession in

divine Master confers his powers on the apostles, he maania, expressly that of curing diseases and driving out demons!. Finally, St Matthew? summarising the various wonders that the Saviour was working among the peoples, points out, apart from the languors and infirmities of all kinds, the evil of possession.

The book of Acres contains two remarkable facts in this order. Saint Paul, accompanied by Silas, had just arrived at Philip in Macedonia and quietly began preaching the Gospel there, when a daughter possessed of the demon began to pursue them, shouting: "These men are servants of the Most High God, who preach to you the way of salvation." The Apostle, tired of these imports, turned and said to the mind: "I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to come out of her." And immediately the spirit came out. At Ephesus+, a few Jews warned of wanting to question and cast out demons by this formula they thought should be effective: "I adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul announces." The evil spirit answered them: "I know Jesus, and I know who Paul is; but who are you?" And the possessed fell upon them with fury, and broke their clothes, and malted them strong.

If we wanted to collect the assertions of the holy doctors about the evil possession, Origen*, Ter-

1 Matt. x, 8: Infirmos curate..., dæmones ejicite. — Cf. Fizzion, Ev. according to S. Matth. viu, 28, p. 165.

2 Matth. 1v, 24: And obtulerunt ei omnes male habentes, varis languoribus and tormentis comprehensos, and who dæmonia habebant, and lunaticos, and paralyticos, and curavit eos.

3 Act. xvi, 16-18: Hoc endum fatiebatmultis diebus. Dolens autem Paulus and conversus, spiritui dixit: Præcipio tibi in nomine Jesu Christi exire ab ea. And exit eadem hora.

4 Act, x1x, 12-16: Respondens autem spiritus nequam dixit eis: Jesum novi and Paulum scio: your standings that are? And insiliens in eos homo, in quo erat dæmonium pessimum, etc.

5 Contra Celsum, l, 1, ©. 6, Migne, t. 11, pass, 666.

Sea is LS Sir, LR

RSR laughs) asy T i x

tullian!, Saint Hilaire de Poitiers?, Eusebius of Caesarea *, saint e

Cyrille of Jerusalem *, Saint John Chrysostom *, Saint Ambrose 6, St Augustine, St Gregory the Great, St John Damascene °, in a word, the whole suite of the Fathers would provide us with countless testimonies.

"All the ancient Fathers admit that demons can, with God's permission, take possession of men. They all take to the letter what is said in the Scripture of possessions and possessed ones; they testify that the same acts of possession and healing of the possessed ones still take place of their time, and they invoke in support of the Christian faith, in their apologies, the power of the faithful to cast out demons. We will find everywhere this belief in the all-powerful possessions and virtue of the name of Jesus to deliver the possessed 1°,"

The ecclesiastical annals relate in large numbers, and continuously, the deliverances accomplished by exorcisms and Christian virtue, from the early ages of the Church until today.

This is how Saint Cyprien! called in the first half of the century the proconsul Demetric and him.

1 Apologet., C. 23, p. 24.

- What? Lib. contra Constantium imperat., n. 8, Migne, t. 10, Col. 584.

3 Demonst. evangeli., l. 3, Migne, t. 29, col. 234.

Four boxes. 16, c. 15, Migne, t. 33, col. 939.

In Matth. Hom. 28, Migne, t. 57.

6 Epistol. 22, n. 16-93, Migne, t. 16, col. 1024.

7 Contra literas Petiliani, n. 196, t. 32, p. 72.

8 Hom. in Evangeli., l. Two, man. 29, n. 4, Migne, t. 76, Col. 4245,

9 Orthodox fide., 1. 2, ©. 4, Migne, t. 94, col. 878.

10 a.m. Keer, Manual of the History of Christian Dogmas, 2nd P., ch. $3, $2, i, 0. 16t dp 369:

11 Lib. ad Demetrianum, Caillau, p. 441: O if audire eos velles and emptying quando a nobis adjurantur èt torquenteur spiritualibus flagris, and verborum tormentis de obsessis cormoribus ejicuntur, quando ejulantes et gementes voce humana et potestate divina flagella et verbera sentientes, venturum judicium confitentur... Videbis our rogari ab eis quos tu rogas, timeri ab cis quos tu times, quos tu adorés. Videbis sub manu nostra stare vinctos ct tremere captivos quos you suspect and vencraris ut dominos.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: POSSESSION i 199 opposed in favor of the Gospel the very confessions of demons: "What comest ye," he said, "seeing them and hearing them when we adjure them and torment them with our spiritual whips, that under the gulf of sacred words they come out of the bodies which they obsess, and that, moaning, weeping with rage, but unable to stand under the blows and invisible flogging which the divine power inflicts upon them, they are compelled to confess the judgment to come. You would see them, those whom you pray, pray to us ourselves; those whom you worship trembling, trembling before us; you would see them chained and trembling with fear at our feet, those slaves whom you look at and worship like your masters."

These historical attestations, we find them all the centuries, as the facts themselves. Sulpicus Severus! will tell us about the deliverances accomplished by St.Martin, the thaumaturge of Gauls; St. Jerome?, the wonders of the same kind as St.Paulus will have seen with his eyes at the tombs of the prophets Elisha and Obadiah, and of the glorious precursor John the Baptist; St. Augustine, those whom he will have witnessed on the land of Africa. Theodoret *, Saint Gregory of Tours, Saint Gregory the Great ê, the venerable Bede, and many others will continue this series of testimonies. Saint Bernard's story contains these facts in large numbers, and they may have been too abundant in the legends of the Middle Ages. The Reformation, which boasted of having carried a deadly blow to superstition, witnessed a recru-

1 De vita B. Martini, c. 17, Migne, t. 20, col. 169. 2 Epitaph. S. Paule, Ep. 108, Migne, t. 22, col. 889. 3 De Genesi ad litt., 1. 19 c. 17, t. 6 p. 591.

4 Eccles. hist. 4, c.18, Migne, t. 82, col. 1166.

5 Lib. de gloria Confess., ©. 59 et seq., col. 871.

6 Dialog., 1. 3, ©. 21, Migne, t. 77, col. 272.

7 Hist. ecclesiast., ©. 11, Migne, t. 95, col. 135.

8 EnnaLD, BB. 20 Aug., t. 38, p. 281-284, No. 92-108.

In the absence of any information, the Commission shall inform the Member State concerned of the reasons for the failure to fulfil its obligations under this Regulation.

, and, more than once, found there the brilliant condemnation of his blasphemy against the Eucharist: that we suffice to cite the famous possession of Nicole Obry +t, of Vervins, in the 19th century, and, in the 20th century, the more famous possessions of the nuns of Loudun? and Louviers. Finally, these facts are not as rare as one would like to persuade himself: we refer the unbelievers to the life of a contemporary priest, the admirable priest of Ars.

And, to tell the truth, he is almost no saint a little significant, at some time that he has lived, who, through his miracles, writings or words, does not attest by his testimony to the existence of possessions.

To the testimonies of tradition and history, one adds another, of all, after that of the divine Scriptures, the most important and decisive, namely: the practice of the Church.

The Church proceeds to deliver the possessed and recognizes an order, that of the exorcist, specifically responsible for this public service. Let us read the Pontifical and the Ritual, and we will see if it takes seriously these tyrannical incursions of Satan into man. Would it still be Catholic, one who dares to think and to say that the Church misunderstands or abuses popular credulity, when she considers or presents purely natural accidents as superhuman facts?

1 J. Rocer, History of Nicole de Vervins, Paris, 1863.

2 LERICHE, Studies on Possessions in General and on the Possessions of Loudun in particular, Paris, 1859.

3 P. Esrrir pu BosroGer, The Grieved Piety or Historical and Theological Speech of the possession of the so-called nuns of Suainte-Élisabeth de Louviers, Amsterdam, 1700.

4 A. Monsin, The Curé d'Ars, 1.3, ©. 2, t. 2, p. 436.

5 Tayreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 1,0c.1, n. 4, p, 3: Vix sanctus aliquis divinorum prodigiorum illustritis est, qui hujus, vel dæmonum ex corporibus exactione, vel scriptis libris, vel alia aliqua ratione, argumentum non præbeat.

_ DEPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: POSSESSION 201 For, finally, if possession does not exist, it is a decoy that it suffers or imposes. She is torn, no longer worthy of debt, but of laughing; deceptive, she is worthy of all contempt.

Finally, the facts are imposed by their very evidence: they accuse a superhuman power, and this power superior to man, which blasphemes God and the saints, which ignores all the laws of order, dignity, virtue, is clearly the genius of evil and revolt, Satan.

In short, let us conclude with Thyreus!, this one alone can deny the evil possession which refuses to relate to its senses, rejects all the history of the past and questions the divine attestations of Scripture.

IV. — But is the devil alone among the spirits to enter into the human organism?

First of all, let us note that the father of the lie is interested in making believe that he is not alone in fulfilling this role and that he says to himself at will sometimes a faithful angel, sometimes a human soul, blessed, suffering or damned, depending on the occurrences: it is the ordinary form of contemporary spiritism. When the identity of the demon is recognized on the other hand, these statements, which have no guarantee other than his word, are suspected of lying.

Nevertheless, taken in itself, the fact of the appearance of a mind in a body does not include impossibility. Isn't it obvious that the good angels can do what does not pass the power of the rebellious angels? But so far, to our knowledge, there is no example that God's messengers have ever manifested themselves in this way. We have had in our hands the careful and conscientious relationship of a very complicated possession, where good spirits and

1 De Dæmoniacis, P. 1 €. 1, n. 2, p. 3.

LOT AS Ca TE a \

, to believe their testimony, in the body of a nun, who died very recently, and whose life presented the most dramatic and singular peripets; but we would dare take on ourselves to pronounce on the quality of this supernatural, and if something were to insinuate us to see the Spirit of God there, it would certainly not be the exceptional peculiarities of this strange possession.

What we say about angels applies to blessed souls and suffering souls, and in fact they never take over man's body. What does the pure possibility of such an occupation matter in itself? Would it be realized that it would be very difficult to see with certainty, and God did not customly throw into a complicated and perilous supernatural.

In any case, the possessions that would be made by the angels, the blessed or even the souls of purgatory would not offer anything of the violence that the evil spirits affect; but this sign would not suffice to draw the character of possession, for demons can, for a longer or shorter time, simulate piety, serenity, a sweet and moving sadness.

There is more connection between the demons and the souls of the damned. Saint Justin, whose doctrine of demons is not blameless, attributes possessions to the souls of the dead. But Tatien °, his disciple, was already protesting against this interpretation, and Saint John Chrysostom è denounced

1 Apologia I pro Christianis, n. 18, Migne, t. Six, pass. 355: Who ab animabus mortuorum correpti projicuntur, dæmonoci and furiosi ab omnibus callati.

2 Oratio adv. Græcos, n. 16, Migne, t. Six, pass. 939: Dæmones autem qui hominibus imperant, non sunt hominum animae. Quo enim pacto effective etiam post mortem fuerint?

In Matth. Hom. 28 n. 2, Migne, t. 57, col. 353: Ipsi, inquiunt, dæmonaci hoc dicunt: Ego sum anima illius cujuspiam. Verum haec fraus ct

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the allegations of demoniacs about this as manifest lies of demons speaking through their mouths. "The demons themselves," you say to me, "scream every day: I am the soul of such a man. But isn't that a trap they're holding us and an effect of their deception? It is not the soul of this dead man who speaks of this, it is the devil who pretends to be and who tries to seduce us by this fraud." Thus spoke St John Chrysostom, and this interpretation prevailed in Christian teaching!.

Practically, therefore, one can hold for certain that the possessions themselves are the work of fallen angels.

V.—An even better point, is that several demons can possess at once the same person. Who does not remember the seven demons of which the Saviour delivered Mary Magdalene °, and the legion that obtains permission from Jesus Christ to pass from the body of a possessed in a flock of unclean animals which she rushes into the sea? The possessions of Vervins, Loudun and Louviers present these cases of several evil spirits in one individual, and these kinds of examples are greatly multiplied in the Lives.

fallacia diabolica est. Neque enim anima mortui is quae clamat, sed daemon qui haec simulat ut auditores decipiat.

1 GASPARD ScuoTT, Physica curiosa, l. 4, ©. 3, § 1 and 2, p. 528-530: Ad quartam opinionem de animabus defunctorum quod attinet, no is admintenda. Vel enim essent beatæ, vel damnæ, vel in stature medio. No. beatæ, quia indignum and impium is adscribere illis actions omnes energumenorum, utpote sæpe impias aut absurdas; non damnatæ, quia nec tantam virtutem, nec tantam scientiam habitent, ut illa præstent omnia quae in energumenis sæpe emptyus; non in status medio exist, tum propter causam proxime dictam, tum quia hae. non intersunt hominibus ut tortqueant, sed ut auxilium obtinant. Dæmones ergo sunt,

2 Marc. xyi, 9: First appearance Mariæ Magdalene, de qua ejecerat septem daemonia.

3 Mark. v, 9: And interrogating eum: Quod tibi nomen est? And here's the saying: Legio mihi nomen est, quia multi sumus.,

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PMU , these great adversaries of Satan who enjoy a wonderful power to relieve and deliver the victims of his tyranny.

Let us note, however, that on this point we are not always obliged to relate to the statements of these lying spirits?

VI. — In taking the question in the opposite direction, it is necessary to ask whether the same demon is sufficient to possess several subjects.

There is no doubt that the successive occupation is possible, and more than once demons have been seen passing from one energumene to another, especially in the possession of the nuns of Louviers è.

But is it possible that a demon simultaneously occupies several bodies, so that, with one possessor, there are several possessed?

From the point of view of pure possibility, the question is reduced to this: Can an angel be at the same time in several places? In contrast to the opinion received in the School+, we believe that this multi-location does not in itself imply

1 BB, passim. See alphabetical index for each volume, especially in t. 48, in the word Dæmon, p. 895.

- What? GÖRRES, Mystique, l. 7 c. 13, t. 4 p. 378.

3 P. Hope for Bosrocer, The Suffering Piety, 1. 2, ch. 4 p. 222: The first proof of body possession can therefore be drawn quite obviously from a movement, or from the action of a devil who passed from the body of one possessed to that of another possessed...: what happened thus. Putiphar, who had the sister of the Blessed Sacrament, who was in the inner choir, told Encitif, possessing Sister Barbe de Saint-Michel: Do you want me to go with you as the bitch you hold? To which Author replied: Yes, I want it, immediately said Putiphar passed in an instant into the body of Sister Barbe, and the sister of the Blessed Sacrament was seen absolutely free from her demon, tossed on her knees near the altar, and began to say her breviary to Laudes.

4 Suarez of Angelis, I. 4, ©. 10, n. 9-16, t. 2, p. 464-467: In hoc puncto, dubius leaks Scotus in 2, d. 2, q. 7: Quia non vietur, inquis, ratio necessario pro nec contra. And illum secutus is Gabriel, etc. Nihilominus moderni theologique communiter docent hoc repugnare naturaliter. And censetur esse sententia Thomæ... Sed hae rationes non voidur complenddere, etc.

i THE

no absurdity; at most it can be said that it is contrary to the present order, which therefore implies a miraculous derogation from which demons are incapable, although the reason by virtue of which pure spirits would be subject to the laws that currently govern the bodies escapes us. Suarez, after a subtle argument, in which he refutes the commonly alleged reasons against angelic multilocation and tries to replace equally questionable news, in our view, draws this modest conclusion that this thesis is quite probable. That is enough to say that these assertions are not required in the name of the authority.

Whatever the theory, there are no facts, to our knowledge, of diabolical multilocation, and these facts, they would exist, would be very difficult to see. Görres? assures that "many men are (sometimes) possessed by the same demon"; but, against his ordinary, he does not cite an example in support. This lack of facts, although inconclusive against the possibility, is serious; for, as Suarez notes?, if this act is naturally feasible, we do not see why God would constantly prevent it from being exercised.

VII. — In these tyrannical demonstrations, demons usually try to manifest certain vices which they seem to represent in a special way *, such as the

1 Ibid., No. 15, p. 466: Nihilominus a posteriori, seu ab inconvenienti, duæ rationes emptytur mihi satis probabiles.

2 Mystique, 1. 7 c. 13, t. 4 p. 378.

3 De Angelis, l. 4, ch. 10, n. 25, p. 467: Profecto magnum argumentum sumitur non esse naturaliter possibile quod nunquam fit, quom pendeat ex libertate angelorum, and not sit fundamentum ad dicendum Deum impedire semper usum talis pompstatis, etiamsi naturalis sit.

4 PETAU, Theol, Dogm. From Angelis, I. 2, ©. 7, n. 43, t. 4; p. 35: Jam vero singulis hominum vitiis certos daemones præsidere ibidem Origenes putat; velut esse aliquem fornicationis spiritum, alium iræ, alium avaritiae, alium superbiæ. — Cf. Cassiex, Coll. 7, ©. 47, Alardi Gazæi Comm. Migne, Patr. lat. t. 49, col. 694.

DIABOLIC PARODIES: avarice, envy, lust, blasphemy, laughter, sadness; each demon has, so to speak, its tint and sound

temperament!, or at least his mission is to push to such a

The triumph of evil seems to have to be more assured and more complete by this regular distribution of roles between the tempters. Some names are cited as representing specific vices, such as Lucifer for pride, Mammon for avarice, Asmodated for lust and others on which tradition is less constant.

VII. — In whatever form it reveals itself, this intimate presence of the evil spirit in man is circumscribed in the body; the soul remains free, or at least if, by a consequence of the invasion of the organs, the exercise of its conscious life is suspended, it is never invaded: God alone has the privilege of entering it into its very essence by its creative virtue, and of making it its home through the special union of grace.

1 BÉRULLE, Energy Treaty, c. 6, n. 4 p. 15: The evil spirits have shared between them and sin and sorrows, so that each one has his vice to which he asks us most..., from where they draw their names as well as of distinct quality, one being named..., for the look of vices, spirit Terror in St.Paul, the other, spirit of fornication in Hosea.

2 CASSIEN, Coll. 7, c.17, Migne, t. 49, col. 691: Hoc tamen nose debemus non omnes dæmones universes hominibus inurere passiones, sed unicuique vitio certos spiritus incubare, et alios quidem immunditiis ac libidinum sordibus oblectari, alios blasphemiis, alios iræ furorique peculiaribus imminere, alios passi tristitia, alios cenodoxia superbiaque mullceri, and unumquemque illudium humanis cordibus, quo ipse Gaudet, inserte.

3 BsreLD, From confession. Malef. Præl. 10, p. 57: Sic Lucifer superbiæ, Mammon avaritiae, Asmodæus luxuriæ, Sathan iraæ and discordiae, Beelzebub gulæ, Leviathan invidiae, Beelphegor accidiae præ ́est, and quisque horum præsidentium maxime ad illud peccatum indicere nitituur cui præsidet et a quo nominatur.

4 S. THOMAS, [n 2 s. d. 8, q. 1, to. 5th, ad 3: Esse intra aliquid est esse intra terminos ejus... Substantia autem spiritualis non habet terminos quantitatis, sed tantum essentiæ, and ideo in ipsam non intrat nisi ille qui dat esse, scilicet Deus creator, qui habet intrinsecam essentiæ operationem.

However, the ultimate goal of the demon's violence is to reach the soul by pushing it to sin!; but, as he solicits moral evil, he obsesses rather than possesses. Whatever the visions raised in the spirit and the fury of which it is assailed, soul remains the master of itself, and, if she is faithful to the grace of God, she has in her free will? an inviolable asylum.

IX. — The influence exerted by the demon on the organs is not of the same nature as that which connects the body to the soul. The soul animates the body and forms with it a harmonious compound, a single life, a single nature, a unique personality; the evil spirit, by seizing the body, does not infuse it with a new vital principle or bind it by any personal bond: it only moves it è.

. The information of the body by the soul, to use a scholastic term, this amazing meeting which, of two principles of different order, makes an indivisible being, a single home of life and operation, is a work of which the Creator is alone capable. A spirit may well act on matter, but it will not achieve this intimate and profound fusion that makes the unity of life, unless it is constituted by creative virtue.

Not only the demon by possessing the body

1 BERULLE, Energy Treaty, c. 4, n. 3 and 4, p. 10: It tends to an irreparable ruin of the soul and body. It is the outcome of this strange evil, if it is not remedied; it is the purpose of this evil spirit, if it is not bleeded; which, through this violent union, wants to disunite the body from the soul, and the soul from God, which is his life and his principle. For by seizing the body, he is seated in the spirit; by afflicting the senses, he affluents the soul; by occupying his organs and his bodyforms, he invests his essence. So much so that the possessed endures all together and a violent assault in mind, and a great torment to the body.

2 S. Tuomas, In 2 s. d. 8, q. 1, a. 5, ad 6: In voluntate autem printe solius Dei est, quod est propter libertatem voluntatis, quae est domina sui actus, et non cogitur ab objecto.

3 S. Tuomas, In 2 s. d. 8, q. 1, a. 2, ad 4: Talis assumeio terminatur ad aliquam unionem quae est motoris ad motum, ut nautæ ad navem, nonautem ut formæ ad materiam,

communicates life, he cannot even associate

hypostatically!, for the hypostatic union, as well as the natural union, requires a creative act. Even assuming that two created natures can, while each maintaining a distinct life, blend into a unique personality, a welding so intimate, if it is permitted to speak in this way, accuses the powerful intervention of the Creator, and cannot be the effect of a created will?.

It is true that the demon simulates, in the tyrannical act of possession, the incomparable condescendence of the divine Incarnation. "His desire to look like the Most High," said Fr. de Bérulle ê, "has increased: and, as it pleased God to unite our nature with the hypostasis of his divinity, so this monkey of God pleases to unite himself with this same nature through a possession that is the shadow and the idea of the singular possession that God took of our humanity in Jesus Christ. For in one it is a God, in the other it is a reborn demon of the human nature. And in each of these possessions, there are two different spirits and two complete natures, united together with a very extraordinary bond."

Despite this appearance of relationships, in reality demonic possession does not establish any hypostatic dependence

1 Tayreus of Dæmoniacis, P.1, ©. 2, n. 8, p. 6: Credi etiam non debet duas hic perfectas naturas concurrerere, atque in una hypostasi recipi.

2 Suarez, by Angelis, 1. &, ©. 36, n. 4, t. 2, p. 548: De altera vero unione hypostatica, disputatur quidem a theologists an sit possibilities in persona creata, and probabilius creditur etiam illam esse simpliciter impassilem. Verumtamen, quidquid sit de possibili in ordine ad absolutam Dei potentiam, de ordinaria loquendo, et de facto, certissimum esse debet nullam aliam unionem hypostaticam factam esse nec esse futuram, præter eam quae inter Verbum divinum et humanam naturam tacta est... Talis unio fioni non potest per virtutem activam naturalem Angeli assumeis corpus: sed daemones assumeunt corpora; ergo non assumeunt per hypostaticam unionem; nam Deus non concurrit cum dæmonibus miraculoso et supernaturali modo, ut corpora sumant. (And indeed it is the same in possessions!)

3 Energy Treaty, c. 3, n. 6 p. 9.

© DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE POSSESSION 209 between Satan and the possessed: it is not a true reproduction, but an odious caricature of the Incarnation.

X. — The oppression that the evil spirit exerts on the body therefore consists in removing it from the empire of the soul and printing it with movements that express his Hi and his anger outside.

Gette domination occurs to degrees divest and in multiple forms.

First of all, we must distinguish between two very distinct states, the state of crisis and the state of calm. A

The crisis is the violent access of evil, and its violence itself does not allow it to be continuous?. This is the moment when the demon declares itself openly by acts, words, agitations, bursts of rage and unmistakableness that man is not capable of, and that can only come from the blasphemous engh. 10

Most often, patients lose any sense of cae that occurs in them during these accesses, as happens in the extreme crises of illness and great pain; and, returning to themselves, they do not retain any memory of what they have said or what they have done, or rather of what the demon has said or done by them. At times they hardly feel the evil spirit at the beginning of the eruption and when he begins to use their limbs in control.

In some cases, however, the spirit of the possessed remains free at the height of the crisis and is astonished

1 Tuvree, De Dæmoniacis, P.1, ©. 2, n. 9, p. 6: In hominibus. igitur quos obsident, dæmones sunt ut motores in corporibus quae movent, ita scilicet ut nullam corporori hominis qualitym imprimant, nullum ipsi dent novum esse, nec proprie unum quid cum obsesso homine constitutive.

2 Tavree, ibid., P. Four cents. 8, n. 8, p. 20: A cruciatu quandoque desistere certum est, Videmus nonnunquam nihil prorsus molestiarum daemoniacos perpeti; viemus eosdem nihil ab iis qui a daemonum infestatione liberimi sunt, differre. Ipsi quaque se nihil pati palam testantur haud raro. i

IL 14

to this despotic usurpation of its organs by the demon. Fr. Surin, who, while exorcising the Ursulines of Loudun, was himself assailed from possession and remained for twelve years under this odious servitude, kept the consciousness of what was happening in him at the very moment of access, and he left us in a letter of 3 May 1635 addressed to Fr. d-Attchy, Jesuit of Rennes, a faithful and very valuable description of his internal condition in the violence to which he was subjected. We must mention, at least in part, this important testimony.

"I cannot say what happened in me during this time, nor how this spirit unites with mine without taking away my conscience or my freedom. He is there like another me; it seems then that I have two souls, one of whom is deprived of the use of his bodily organs and standing as in the distant, look at what the other is doing. The two spirits struggle on the same battlefield, that is, in the body; and the soul is as shared: open, in one, to evil impressions; abandoned, in the other, to its own movements and to those of God. At the same time, I feel great peace under the good pleasure of God, and do not see anything about this repulsion which pushes me, on the other hand, to separate myself from Him, to the great astonishment of those who see me. At the same time, I am filled with joy and watered with a sadness that exhales in complaints or shouts, according to my whim of demons. I feel in me the state of damnation and I fear it; this foreign soul, which seems to me mine, is pierced by despair as by arrows, while the other, full of trust, despises these impressions and curses in all his freedom the one who the

Wake up. I admit that those screams, coming out of my mouth,

It is also impossible for me to decide whether it is joy or fury that produces them. This tremor that grabs me when we approach me

Ch aa e ooe

Holy Eucharist comes, it seems to me, and from the horror that this approach inspires me, and from a respect full of tenderness, without I can say which one of these two feelings dominates. If I want, asked by one of these two souls, to make the sign of the cross on my mouth, the other soul pulls me off my arm with strength, and makes me grasp my finger with the teeth and bite it with a kind of rage. In these storms, my consolation is prayer; it is to her that I have recourse while my body is rolling on the ground and the ministers of the Church speak to me as a demon and utter curses against me. I cannot express to you how joyful I am to be a demon of this kind, not by revolting against God, but by a punishment that discovers me the state where sin reduces me; and, while I apply the curses that are pronounced, my soul can plunge into its nothingness. When the other possessed men see me in this state, we must see how they triumph, saying: "Medicine, heal yourself! Now therefore go up to the pulpit; it would be nice to hear you preach after you have so rolled to the ground!" My condition is such that I have very few shares left where I am free. If I want to speak, my tongue is rebellious; during Mass, I am forced to stop suddenly; at the table, I cannot carry the pieces to my mouth. If I confess, my sins escape; and I feel that the devil is in me as in his house, entering and going out as he pleases. If I wake up, he is there waiting for me; if I pray, he shakes my mind according to his whim. Does my heart open to God, and fill him with fury; if I will watch, I fall asleep, and he boasts by the mouth of the other possessed that he is my master, which I cannot deny in fact."

XI. — In the intervals of calm, nothing usually reveals to the possessed or to the others the presence of the evil spirit, unless possession affects the form of

T, or a chronic disease. it is not uncommon,

effect, that by invading the body, the demon in it called an organic disorder which, almost always, is deconstructing by its eccentricity the categories and resources of art t. Sometimes also the evil is characterized, sometimes in a general form, like paralysis, lethargy; sometimes by a particular affection that reaches a certain sense, hearing from deafness, sight through blindness, taste, Fodorat, tact by strange anomalies that render these organs unfit for their functions; or localized in one part of the body?: arms, legs, digestive or sexual organs, brain. This latter form gives rise to hallucinations and extravagances of madness. It should be added that possession sometimes feels, to speak of it, about a pre-existing disease.

From the variety of evils they inflict, evil spirits receive names that express, not their nature, but the character of possession: this is how in the Gospel one is called a spirit of infirmity, another, a mute spirit,

XIIL. — Continuity of evil makes it possible to infer the perseverance of the cause which produces it. But the opposite is not also true: the demon often conceals its presence by holding silent, and it takes the power of exorcism to force it to declare itself.

However, possession is not always continuous, and the demon that produces it can come out for a while

1 Tuyrec, De Dæmoniacis, P. 1, c. €, n. 1, p. 15: Vel mortem afferunt, vel member um usu privatint, vel aliam homini minimal convenientem foram providing, vel sensibus spoliant, vel affliction morbis, vel occultis rationibus and excruciating modis.

2 Tayreus, 401.: C. 40, n. 3 p. 24.

3 Luke. xm, 11: And ecce mulier queæ habebat spiritum infirmitatis annis decem and octo.

4 Luke xi, 44: And erat ejicians dæmonium, and- illud erat mutum,

eije

to come back and start his odious vexations again.. Being bound by no link other than that of his will, one understands that he can enter and exit at his will, as long as the divine license necessary for possession lasts!. The essence of possession, according to Berulle's remark? "is precisely a right which the evil mind has to reside in a body and alter in any way; whether the residence and alteration is continuous or interrupted; whether it is violent or well fashioned; or whether it brings only a deprivation of some act and use naturally due to nature, or whether it has accompanied a severe torment."

XI. — The demon, playing in possession only the role of motor, it seems that his seat in the body must be where he makes his action felt. This, however, is not without difficulties and has given rise to strange solutions.

By the abuse of which he afflicts the bodies he invades, the demon often determines the swellings under which he was believed to be hiding. It is not doubtful, moreover, that in some cases it manifests its presence by swelling of the parts that it works ë, and the Roman Ritual * recommends to the exorcist, if it sees occurrence on

1 Tuyreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 1, ©. 8, n. 4, p.19: Sic dubium no is possessed ipsos corpora quae inhabitant ad tempus desere. Tanta ipsorum cum corporibus unio non est, quanta animarum cum suis corporibus. In corpora, non nisi ut motores quidam sunt; ipsis easy quocirca is tam corpora desere quam ingredi.

2 Energy Treaty, c. 6, n. 1, p. 14.

3 GASPARD ScHort, Physica curiosa, l. h, €. 8, p. 339: Novi ego, cum Mænis in Sicilia degerem, matronam nobilem ac piam, quae and ipsa fatetatur cum lacrymis, and ab aliis passim Âredebatur ac dicebatur, habere dæmonem in corpore, identidem pectus in tuber inflaret ac paulatim per guttur ad os ac linguam ascenderet, etc.

4 Exorcisand. obsess.: And quoties viderit obsessum in aliqua corporis parte commoveri... tumorem alicubi appear, ibi faciat signum Crucis and aqua benedicta aspergat.

214 some tumor, sprinkle it with holy water and trace on it the sign of the cross.

Let invading lange betray his presence and his action by these protuberances, there is nothing impossible to do with this; but imagine that he needs a emptiness, some space to penetrate and dwell in a body, would be a gross error that contradicts the very notion of the spirit; unless, however, he first takes a bodily form and does not stand in the home of the possessed under this mask! It has been seen, in fact, to enter and exit in the form of a snake, worm, spider, fly, ant, and it cannot introduce with it real bodies without occupying a specific space responding to their extension. In such cases, therefore, it is necessary to retire or to lodge in the natural cavities of the body, such as the stomach, abdomen, airways. But these bodies may exist and appear only outside, or be purely fantastic, or even receive from the demon only an extrinsic movement °.

Some make the heart the ordinary seat of the evil spirit, because, they say, from there it can easily communicate to the body all the impulses è. In this respect,

1 GaspérD SCHOTT, Phys. curiosa, l. 4, ©. 8, p. 540: Dæmones obsidentes non assumeunt necessario corpora, quia sine illis possunt invadere homines illosque afflictere... Possunt tamen, si velint, similia animalculorum corpora assumee, sub illorum specie homines invadere, intra illos latere, huc atque illuc discurrerere... Utrum, dum sub dictorum animalculorum species intra obsessos latuerunt, corpora illorum assumed, incertum est, quia posunt illis extrinse tantum assistendo facere queæ in dictis exemplis fecissure narrant... Ut tubera in obsessorum corporbus excitent dæmones, no necessarium ut sub species corporea intus lateant, quia, virtute sibi indita, absque corporis subsidio id posunt efficere.

- What? Tayreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 1, © 10, n. 7 p. 25: Dum aranei aut muscæ in obsessorum ore conspiciuntur, non ita eisdem dæmones includimus ut extra illa non sint. Possunt haec animalcula producere et in iis latere; possunt quoque extra ipsa existe, and nihilominus quolibet impellere.

3 Tavyreous,, n. 8 and 9: Quamvis hic certo constitui nihil posit, no

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE POSSESSION U R IT would seem more logical to assume the seat in the brain, the real center from which the movement emanates. The Roman Ritual repeatedly prescribes, in the course of exorcisms, to make the sign of the cross on the forehead and chest of the possessed, as if to indicate that it is above all to the head and heart that the unclean mind takes refuge.

The nervous system, considered as a whole, appears, not without reason, in Görres the central point of possession, if we nevertheless hear the learned German philosopher. To be more assured of his thinking, let us listen to him speak himself t.

"It is now...to examine in which areas of human personality, in which system of life the possession is accomplished. The soul occurs in a triple form and, to each of these forms, corresponds, in the body, to a particular system of organs. And first, the soul is enlightened inwardly by this light which enlightens every man coming into this world; and moreover, through the impressions of the outside, it receives ideas which it associates and combines with each other and which form the treasure of its knowledge. In other words, the soul is endowed with the ability to think, conceive and judge. To this faculty corresponds, in the body, the nervous system which is particularly overexcited and involved by these sublime functions of intelligence. In addition, the soul, not content with receiving the impressions of objects from outside, feels the need to react to them, and to push out this activity that consumes them; in other words, it is endowed with the ability to want. However, this faculty corresponds in the body the nervous and muscular system. Finally, the soul penetrates, informs, animates and invigorates the body to which it is united; it has

sine ratione tamen illos loqui dinerim, qui in corde, vel haud procula corde, eos sedes suas plerumque habere arbitrantur, { Mystique, 1, 7, ch. 15, t. 4 p. 391-395.

, therefore, is a vital faculty to which the ganglionary system and the circulatory system respond in a special way...

"Position attacks man, not by this bright side by which he connects with God, but rather by this dark and inferior side which is turned and inclined towards material things. In a word, it is in the nocturnal region of human personality that this mysterious act is carried out in its nature and so terrible in its results. Now, to these dark areas of the soul correspond, in the organism, these deep and mysterious systems that form the nerves by uniting and intertwining with each other, these systems that give the inner movement of life its form and rhythm, and which escape completely from the empire of the will... However, in all these systems, what forms the centre and as the link, is the sympathetic system. It is also done where possession usually begins and its first symptoms occur. Indeed, one of the most striking characteristics of possession is a fury that knows no bounds; it is like a devilic contagion that seizes and subdues to the demon the motor power of man. But the sympathetic system itself is placed in the body between two systems dependent on it and which find in it their center and their nucleus. Indeed, pushing down its branches, it gives birth to the plexus of the heart, lungs, abdominal and sexual regions. Then, extending from above, it gives birth to the ganglias of the brain, and from there reacts, by the impressions it produces, to the operations of the intelligence.

"Now, to these three parts of the sympathetic system, answer three kinds of operations quite distinct on the part of the demon. From the upper part, it penetrates into some

In the field of mind, and makes its disastrous influence felt even on the operations of thought... By the central part of this same sympathetic system, it penetrates, so to speak, into the sphere of will by making men do external acts whose will is not the efficient cause, although they are accomplished in and by their members. Finally, by the lower part of this system, it penetrates into the very realm of organic life and produces there as a kind of superfetation which, in its contours, mimics and copies to a certain extent nature."

In order not to lose ourselves in nebulous interpretations, we would rather simply say, with Thyrea t, that the demons reside whole in the body or in the organs they possess, that they pass from one point to the other of the body, that they occupy more or less parts of it, that they can be present simultaneously to all and to each of the elements; that in short, possession with the aim of moving the human organism or suspending its functions, the invading spirits place themselves at the points where they can prevent action or produce it?.

XIV. — It does not matter how it is resolved.

1 De Dæmoniacis, P. 1.0. 10, n. 14 and 15, p. 26: Putaverim quaque frequencer proud ut qui in uno homine sunt, stations suas quandoque mutent, and nunc sint in hac corporis parte, nunc in alia, nunc etiam preres simul hominis partes possidant, nunc pauciores... In quacunque parte corporis toti sunt; in toto quod posident corpore toti sunt, non secus atque in homine hominis anima.

2 Ibid. n. 10 and 41, p. 25: Nonne quod in navi is nauclerus, id in obsessus corporibus sunt dæmones? At -vero nauclerus in ea se navis parte constituit, ubi navis commodissime impelli potest. In illa igitur hominis parte daemones erunt, in qua constituti hominis corpus, quo iubebit, potent ease impeller. Præterea non hoc propositum tantum dæmonibus est, ut pro libidine hominum corpora cieant: etiam in propiris sibique naturalalibus operationibus impedire conantur atque ideo impediunt. Ubi igitur justius sedes suas habebund, quam ubi illas impedire commodissime posunt?

The devilish eruption t, but we can say a word about the symptoms that announce it, leaving aside details without interest.

Often possession is sudden and coincides with the cause to which it attaches itself. The precursor sign, when it exists, is usually obsession, in one of the sensitive forms that we have described elsewhere?: before entering and settling permanently, the demon rotates and moves outside, like the enemy who carries out the assault of the place of which he will become the master. God allows these external manifestations, in order to warn of the inner invasion of which they are the prelude, and to inspire a deeper horror of it °.

We do not have to discuss the natural predispositions of the subject that one would like to see as symptoms of possession: we have already denied the existence of this report.

XV. — It is of all other importance to recognize the causes of possession.

If the evil spirits could, at their will, invade men, they would be willing to take to all these acts of wrath. But God contains them, and they only come to this violence in the opportunity and in the extent that his providence permits. Practically, it is not always easy to assign the

1 Tayreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 4, ©. 9, p. 22. Per quam partem spiritus nequam homines obsessos ingrediantur.

2 Tuyreus, ibid., P. 1, ©. 11, n. 2, p. 26: Dubium no is plerumque suum in homines ingessum prodere. Potest hoc exemplis multorum, qui aliquando obsessi fuerunt, demonstrari. Quidam eorum, priusquam obsiderentur, se spiritus sub specie canis aut nigri æthiopis conspexisse asserunt; quidam quodam strepitu fuere perculsi; quidam, nescio quas, in somno habuerunt serious and molestas imaginative.

°? Tayrée, ibid. n. 6 p. 27: Forte divina providentia idem postulate. Neque enim raro ii a dæmonibus posidenteur, qui in gravibus piccatis, et quasi ostium, ut se ingrediantur, ipsis aperiunt; ad quorum majorem pénam (justissimam tamen) permittit Deus, ut carnifices suos prius conspicient, quam eorum tyrannidem sentient et experiantur.

Sar

starting point and the final reason for each possession: in addition to one case, it is a secret that God reserves, deep and mysterious mixture of mercy and justice!.

The causes that man can grasp, proceed or of the possessed himself, or of those around him.

In the subject of possession, they are reduced to these two: demand and sin.

Asking and getting to be delivered to the most appalling tyranny, is a strange thing that is not justified by the common rules, that no one has the right to advise?, but that it is also not appropriate, without reservation, to disapprove, the story attesting that godly characters have made this prayer to God and that God has answered it. Saint Sulpice Sévère ê tells that a holy man, who exercised a wonderful power over demons, surprised, or rather tempted with a sense of vain glory, asked the Lord to deliver him for five months to the power of the demon and to become like the unfortunate ones he had once healed. Immediately the devil took him and made him suffer,

1 Tayreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 2, c. 32, p. 100: Hinc non judicat (B. Hieronym.) multum nostras cogitationes hic fatigandas; divinam potius vult providentiam admirandam and prædicandam.

2 SCHRAM, Theol. myst., § 217, sch. 1, t. 4 p. 383: Imprudent and temere nonnullæ personae spirituales, maxime feminæ, subpretextu pro Christo patiendi a Deo petunt ut dæmoni posidenti tradanti, vel nonnunquam, ex suggestion of transformantis se in Angelum lucis, putantes manc esse voluntatem Dei, dæmoni ultro sui pompostatem faiunt, and de facto ab illo arripiuntur. Temere tales process... Nec prosunt exempla nonnullorum sanctorum, quae magis admireanda quam imitanda sunt and specialem Spiritus sancti impulsum suppunt.

3 Dialog. 1, ©. 20, Migne, t. 20, col. 196: Totis igitur precibus conversus ad Dominum fertur orasse, ut permissa in se mensibus quinque diabolo potestate, similis his proud and quos ipse curaverat. Quid multis morer? Ille præpotens, ille signis atque virtutibus toto Oriente vulgatus, ille ad cujus limina populi ante conluxerant, ad cujus fores summæ istius sæculi se prostraverant potestates, correptus a daemone est, tentus in vinculis. Omnia illa quae energumeni soler iron, perpessus, quinto demum mense purgatus est, non tantum dæmone, sed, quod illi erat utilius atque optatius, vanitate,

Dr., (Cr; ~ of A te S the Aa , D A ar SO to Od 9 D CAN and ~ pIA : to I 20 A MAS W BaN R {i TX 4 Prii LAVE e

ANA的 cing months, all violence of possession. After that he was delivered, not only from evil oppression, but, even better, from all the attacks of vanity.

Mortal sin is the usual cause of possession: God, in fact, usually inflicts such a great evil only to punish sin and inspire a healthy horror.

Among the sins, some seem to call with special efficiency the punishment of possession. Thyreus? reports infidelity and apostasy, abuse of the Holy Eucharist, blasphemy, pride, excesses of lust, envy and avarice, persecution against God's servants, the impeccability of children towards their parents, violence of anger, contempt for God and holy things, imprecations and pacts by which Satan is given. In general, great crimes predispose to this horrible enslavement, which makes man's body home and like the own body of demons. History presents many examples of these terrible punishments that make sinners feel what hell will be.

What is more surprising is that mistakes, serious to the truth, but without formal character of enormity, give

Tayreus, De Dæmoniacis, P. 9, ©. 29, n. 3 p. 83: Hypothesis certa est. Finding frequent accider ut propter peccata sua dæmonum carnificinam sutinant homines.

2 Ibid. c. 30, n. 9-23, p. 87-97: Non negaverim quasdam (culpas) esse, quae failius aditum præbeant; ut quas vel Deus justius hac ratione vindicare vidatur, vel ob quas ipsi daemones in homines ingessum magis posint affectare et desiderare. And quae illæ? — Prima is infidelitas seu agnitæ veritatis impugnatio atque abnegatio... Altera is sacrosanctæ Eucharistiæ abuseus... Tertia is blasphemia... Quarta is peccatum superbiæ... Quinta is luxuria... Sexta livor and invidia... Avaritia etiam inter culpas is ob quas daemones facilem aditum habitent... Ad has access quae sanctis hominibus affertur persecutio... Addiderim dictis filiorum in parents impietatem... Decima culpa is jurgium atque convitium... Undecima culpa is Dei contemptus, live religionis and pietatis neglectus... Timere etiam daemones possunt qui se déemonibus devovent et, ut apripiantur, sibi precantur... Ad hos proxime magi and divinators accedunt.

Despotic eruptions: possession 221 n

sometimes has to go into the devilish eruption. Like the following line:

As told by Tertullian f. A baptized woman went to the show, came back with a demon in the body. The unclean spirit was sown, by the virtue of exorcisms, to declare how he dared to seize a Christian: "It was right that I did it," he replied, "I found it at home." This is still the case of this Arab girl, whom the author speaks of? of a work often attributed to Saint Prosper, a Christian herself, who, for having carried on a statue of Venus and on herself, while she was bathing herself, immodest gazes, was suddenly invaded by the unclean spirit.

There are some facts, but very rare, of possessions that seem to have been determined by mere venial sins. Thus, in Cassian's report, the saint Abbé Moïse, in a protest, had let go a speech too loudly against Abbé Macaire, was immediately seized by the demon and beset by his fury; but his saint, who fell to his knees, interceded for him and obtained his deliverance immediately. The nun Saint Gregory the Great speaks of, * though this account is also certain.

1 De Spectac. ©. 26 p. 104: Exemplum accidit, Domino teste, ejus mulieris quae theatrum adiit, and inde cum dæmonio rediit. Itaque, in exorcismo, cum oneraretur immundus spiritus, quod aususus esset fidelem adgredi, constant: And justissime quidem, inquis, feci; in meo eam inveni.

2 Lib. of Promises and Predict. P. 4, ©. 6, Migne (Op. S. Prosp.), t. 54, col. 842: Quaedam juvencula Araba Let ancellæ Dei habitum gestans, cum in balneo lavans, simulacrum quoddam Veneris impudice respiceret et seipsam, eique se Goasimilans, domicilium se diabolo præbuit,.

3 Collat. 7, ©. 27, Migne, t. 49, col. 706: Cum ipse quoque singularis et incomparabilis vir esset, ob reprehensionem unius sermonis, quem contra abatem Macarium disputans paulo durius protulit, quadam scilicet opinione præventus, tam diro confistim est traditus dæmoni, ut humanas

managementes ori suo ab eo supplementus fingereret... Continuo, abbate Macario in oratione submisso, dicto citius nequam os ab eo fugatus abscessibility.

4 Dialog. 1. 4, c. 4, Migne, t. 77, col. 168: Quadam vero die, una Dei famula ex eodem monasterio virginum hortum ingressa est: quae lactumam conspiciens concupivit, camque signo crucis benedicere oblita, avide momordit; sed arrepta a diabolo protinus cettedit, etc.

it is simple, — seems even less guilty: it is possessed for having ripped out in the garden of the monastery and ate a lettuce, by a movement too natural and without taking the precaution to bless it. It is also narrated in the life of Saint Amet 1, Abbé de Remiremont, that Satan took another nun because she had taken a fruit to eat him without asking his superior for permission. Cassian? assures that he has known men of a high virtue delivered to the demon in punishment for very slight mistakes, and Thyreus? makes this just remark that between possession and venial sin, the penalty is below evil.

In addition to these two positive causes of possession, namely demand and sin, can he meet with others, in the subject, coming from natural predisposition?

This issue, which is agitated in a variety of ways, as we have seen in speaking of obsession, is resolved by what we have said in this place, or at least by virtue of the same principles.

There is no doubt that possession cannot take a form that has anything to do with temperament, sentence on an existing infirmity or determine which ones seem natural; but that is not the question. It is a question of whether such organic or malady disposition is linked with possession as the cause with its effect, if not as a fatal and always effective cause, at least as a cause of

1 BB. 13 Sept. t. 44, p. 105, n. 46: Puella sanctimonialis in eodem cœnobio, absque licentia senioris, poum edendum præsumpsi; sed mox diabolus ingessus eamdem discerpere coepit.

- What? Collat. 7, c. 25, col. 702: Corporaliter traditos Satanæ vel infirmitatibus magnis ctiam viros sanctos novimus pro levissimis quibusque delictis.

3 De Dæmoniacis, P. 1, ©. 30,-n. 6: And quamvis venialia, levia peccata sint..., nulla tamen fit hominibus injuria, quamio etiam haec propter, dæmonum carnificinæ traduntur; quoniam quae composation lethalium levia sunt, composita cum pœnis quibuscumque, magna sunt, and illas longissime post se relinquunt.

the cause of its nature is sufficiently effective to achieve this end. To this question thus asked, we make an absolutely negative answer, because the truth is that there is no causal link between nature and its states on the one hand, and the demonic eruption on the other.

Moreover, possession will be all the more questionable and its verification will be all the more difficult, since it will be closer to the natural inclinations of the subject or will be linked to pre-existing infirmities.

XVI. — Man can cause possession in three ways: by punishment, malice and contagion.

The punishment is, or is the consequence of an innocent of the fault committed by another, or the punishment imposed, in the name of God, on the culprit himself.

The solidarity which imposes on one another the penalty due to the sin of another, the redemption of the culprit by the innocent, is such a constant law in the human world and especially in the Christian economy, that it would be superfluous to demonstrate it here. As possession of the nature of the person does not constitute moral disorder, and the punishment is separable from the point of view of guilt, one understands that one person may be possessed for the fault of another. It may be a reasonable interpretation of possession in some cases where there is no, even there can be no personal fault, as in small children. We have facts that give these conjectures a certain basis. Among the many miracles performed at the tomb of St.John Gualbert t is the fact of a young girl possessed for the iniquities of her father and mother.

1 Jerome DE Razzioro, BB. 12 Jul. 30, p. 385, n. 119: In parents puellæ ipsos oculos ignivomos defigens inquit (dæmon): Perditi miserique senes, qui vestris sceleribus filiam unicam, loine prius exeruciatam demum perdere curatis; scelesti, reddite quae, furtim clamve monasterii surriputis bona; inde discedam; secusautem preces inassim, etiamsi totum annum crucier, fient.

224 > One of the most epiarqusbies is Ann d'Eus-. tochie de Padua. Born of adultery and sacrilege, she was subjected to the most atrocious violence of demons from her first childhood until the eve of her death; for twenty-five years her trials lasted, her courage never denied herself, and she deserved after her death to be honored as a saint by all the people of Padua +.

It is worthy of God and his merciful providence to redeem the culprit by the innocent to save them both; it is no less worthy of his righteousness to protect among men the unseen holiness and authority. 4

The saints, far from calling demons, are the most powerful auxiliaries against their despotism. Sometimes, however, God punishes with the punishment of possession insults to his servants and friends.

More than once, the curse of a father or mother has had the effect of the terrible evil of possession?.

More often than not, representatives of the authority of the di vine in the Holy Church have handed over to the demon the rebels and the great sinners. Saint Paul gives a double example: the first is the excommunication pronounced against the incestuous of Corinth*; the second is the one he carries against Hymenaeus and Alexander‘, to punish them for their blasphemy. The very formula of these sentences indicates that the culprits are abandoned to Satan, and tradition almost unanimously interprets these words, not only of the separation of Christian society, but of bodily invasion through possession. In the first centuries of the Church, the second penalty was the death penalty.

Cf. Görres, Mystique, 1. 7 c. 49, t. 4 p. 354-378. Surius, Vita S. Zenonis, 25 May. I Cor. v, 5: Tradere hujusmodi Satanæ in interitum carnis.

#1 Tim. 1, 20: Hymenæus and Alexander, quos tradidi Satanæ, ut discant non blasphemare.

and if, in the future, these facts have become rarer, religious history continues to present examples of them to all ages.

It is understandable that, to avenge the insults to authority and holiness, God gives the culprits to the vexations of the evil spirit; what is more surprising is that, because of malice or sensitivities posed by his followers, Satan can enter the bodies of innocent, honest and even godly people. And yet this is a constant fact, and, so strange as it seems, it cannot be revoked in doubt by anyone who has studied the history of evil interventions so little. Those who would like the proof of this need only read the miraculous deliverances made during their lives and after their death by Saint Bernard ° and Saint John Gualbert*, to name only those two among the multitude of saints who have indicated themselves in this kind of wonders; or what concerns the famous possessions of Louviers and Loudun. In Louviers, we see a whole convent of nuns delivered to Satan's action by the charms of a bad priest, Mathurin Picard, who is careful to pass on his succession to another priest, Thomas Boullé, worthy of his perversity. In Loudun, he is still a priest, no less a villain,

1 Corn. To Lar. Com. in I ad Cor. v, 4, n. 62: Ex quibus Patribus colligitur excommunicatos olim dæmoni traditos (ut discerent excommunicationem timere), etiam ab eo corporaliter (quod aliqui hic negant) escapesse divexatos et quasi possessos... Hæc enim phrasis ex illa corporatei vexatione, quam in primitiva Ecclesia dæmon in excommunicatos excommunicatos exerbat, manasse vidétur. Example crebra sunt in vitis Patrum, ac nominatim in vita S. Ambrosii scripta per Paulinum.

2 GUILLAUME, Abbé de Saint-Thierri de Reims, BB. 20 Aug., t. 39, p. 271, n. 55 and passim.

3 Jerome DE Razziolo, BB. 12 Jul., t. 30, p. 368, n. 22 — p. 373, n. 53 — p. 389, n. 150, and passim.

4 P. Hopeful of the BosroGrr, The Grieved Piety, or Historical and Theological Speech of the possession of the so-called nuns of Suinte-Elisabeth de Louviers.

Ñ Le

] 226 f 2 section: the diabolical parodies

Grandier, who casts a similar spell on fourteen nr gious Ursulines, hitherto pure and blameless +. - Whatever the case of Urbain Grandier, who had the bad ‘fortune of having generally only passionate opponents of supernatural, Catholicism and Richelieu as defenders, we have an authority that a believer will hardly disavow, it is the constant practice of the Church in exorcisms. The Roman Ritual? expressly recommends to compel the demon to declare whether possession is due to these kinds of infamy sacraments, to say what they consist of, in what place they are located, and to resort, to destroy the effect, not to magicians or sorcerers

who threw them away, but to liturgical prayers, taking care, as soon as they were discovered, to burn them.

Possession sometimes appears to occur by contagion.

It is an undeniable fact, several times renewed in history, that some demonic invasions are communicative, either from spectator to spectator, or even outside of any presence and contact, in an epidemic form, like the diseases of this species. The Jansenist convulsors of the Saint-Médard cemetery and the Cevennes' Camisards provide clear evidence of this. It appears from certain facts that possession itself spreads in this form of the epidemic. There are several cases of this kind, among them two recent and very remarkable, one of which was in 1857 in Morzines, village.

1 , A Critical Review and Discussion of the History of the Devils of Loudun. — Lrricur, Studies on Possessions in General and on that of Loudun in particular.

2 De Exorcizandis obsessed. Jubeatque dæmonem dicere an detineatur in illo corpore ob aliquam operam magicam, aut malefica signa vel instrumenta; quae, si obsessus ore sumpserit, evomat; vel si alibi extra corpus fucrint, ea revelet, and inventa comburantur.

3 See. Lecanu, Hist. of Satan, ch. 18, p. 367.

Despotic eruptions: possession 297 '

I the Savoy! and the other, in 1878, in Verzegnis, in Friuli?. The facts are not and cannot be revoked in doubt; but the rationalists called to observe them wanted to see there only a pathological case, and, with the help of Greek formulas, renewed from Calmeil or elucidated for the occasion, they have increased the long category of human infirmities to which they do not know of any renditions. It was enough to get to their ends: the supernatural was shunned.

We do not follow the same procedure. In assuming the dual character of demonic possession and endemic transmission, the reason for this report should be sought.

As we have already stated, there is no connection between organic disturbances and possession of cause and effect. Possession often results from illness; never disease does as a natural consequence of possession. The dependence that seems to be established from one to another, if it is not a trick of demons who conceal their presence outside of a contagious disease, must be attributed to conditions made by God to the invaders. These conditions can be reduced to: Or God, for reasons of justice and wisdom, authorizes on many a multiple and growing possession, in a similar form that makes it appear that there is an epidemic spread, although there is in reality only a mere coincidence; or it allows the evil spirits to invade within a circumscribed radius persons with a communicable affection of its nature, such as madness, epilepsy, and, in

1 See From Mirville, Spirits, t. 2, ch. $4, $3, p. 213, with Appendix B, p. 233. — HiproLyTe WHITE, the Wonderful, p. 279-297.

2 See Report by Mr. Franzouni: The Epidemia of Istero-Demonopasia, Reggio nell Emilia, 1879. — Scientific Review, April 1880, An Epidemic of Hystero-Demonopathy in Verzegnis, by M. L.-H. Perit, p. 973-978. — The P: of Bonniot, The Possessions of Verzegnis, has. of Contemporary, August 4, 1880.

_ general, diseases that have their seat in the nervous system. The cases reported so far clearly fall within these categories.

XVII. — In addition to the causes that we have just assigned to evil possession, are there any other? Apart from the sin that God punishes, the prayer that he hears, the holiness that he avenges and the authority that he protects, the substitution of the innocent to the culprit, the laws of trial that open to the wicked and the demons secret from which to assail the righteous, is there any other motive that can determine this amazing phenomenon?

With the wisest authors, we do not hesitate to respond in the affirmative. Little children were still seen with the demon-wrapped mamel, without the parents seeming to have given rise to any crime.' We have seen godly characters in the same vexations, although outside nothing attests that there was fault on their part, nor on the part of God substitute for other culprits. We have already quoted Fr. Sure. There is another example that is older and much more remarkable, which we must not ignore; it is that of Stagire, famous for his holy life and trials, even more famous by the three books addressed to him by his friend Saint John Chrysostom °, in order to raise his courage and justify the apparent rigors of Providence towards him. After a youth free of disruptions, he had

1 S. Jerome, Ep. 39, ad Paulam super obitu Blæsillæ, n. 2, Migne, t. 22, col. 467: Quid causæ is ut sæpe bimuli, trimuli, and ubera materna lactents a dæmonio corripiantur?

S. AuGustin, de Civ. Dei, l. 22, c. 22, n. 3, t. 4 p. 285: Contra milleformes dæmonum incursus, quis innocentia sua fidit? Quenoquidem ne quis fideret, etiam parvulos baptizatos, quibus certe nihil est innocentius, aliquado sic vexant, ut in eis maxime, Deo sinente, ista monsterur hujus vitae flenda calamitas, and alterius desideranda felicitas.

2 Oratio adhortatoria ad Stagirium ascetam a dæmonio vexatum, librarians, Migne, t. 47, col. 423-424.

brewed the life of the cenobitics and faithfully practiced the least observances. Nevertheless, he was assailed and perhaps possessed by the demon with vehemence and tenacity that resisted all the prayers of the Church and the saints. Of course, God had his purposes by keeping a faithful servant under this cruel oppression.

These purposes, Chrysostom, in the above-mentioned book, and other Christian doctors have been careful to deepen them, and we must report them ourselves to the reader.

In the first line, we must place the sanctification even of the innocent souls who are subjected to this abhorrent tyranny. When God thus abandons the body to Satan, it is to better save the soul who loves and wants to serve him. We have noticed, in speaking of the preparatory trials for contemplation, that possession was not part of it regularly; but it is wonderfully suited to inspire the horror of demons, the fear of God's judgments, humility and prayer +.

It's even more useful to the next. This spectacle of a creature that survives the most atrocious violence, gives us to know, on the one hand, the hatred, rage, the carried away of demons against man; and, on the other, the merciful protection that God grants to him up to the hands of these cruel enemies, who, in the end, can not, as we ostensibly see in the person of Job, anything that God allows them?.

1 S. J. Canysosrome, ad Stagirium, l. 1, n. Four, collar. 435: Who imminere sibi cernit inimicum, majori ad illum currit desiderio, a quo defendi posit. Ita fere infantantes pueri, cum quid horndendm emptyirint, ad matrum sinus protinus fugunt... Hocautem non in solis pueris contingit, sed etiam in nobis. Quinco enim malignus ille- perterrets our atque perturbat, tunc frugi efficimur, tunc nos ipsos agnoscimus, tunc ad Deum omni studio recurrimus.

2 S. J. CarysosTOyE, Dæmones non gubernare mundum, hom. 1, n. 6, Migne, t. 49, col. 253: Si quando videris hominem agitatum a daemone, Dominum adora, nequitiam daemonum disce; siquidem utrumque in his

Another salutary lesson: the horrific fury of demons over the bodies they possess is a prelude to damnation, and warn how many are to be complained of the souls captive to sin and placed, so to speak, at the vestibule of hell? According to St Augustine's remark, fleshly men fear the present evils more than the future evils, and that is why God strikes them in time, so as to teach them what the terrible torments of eternity will be.

Finally, possessions are used to bring forth the divinity of Our Lord, the power of the Church and the credit of the saints. In the name of Jesus Christ, in the exorcisms of his priests, in the summons of his servants, the demons,

dæmoniacis identify liket, and Dei benignitatem, and dæmonum improbitatem. Ac dæmonum quidem improbitatem, cum turbent and exagitating animam dæmonaci; Dei vero benignitatem, cum ita sævum inquilinum and hominem præcipitare cupientem retinat and coerceat, only omni sua potestate uti permittat.

1 Tuvree, de Dæmoniacis, P. %, ©. 32, n. 5, p. 100: Hic, in almost imagining, ob oculos ponuntur extremi illi cruciatus atque tormenta, quae post Hanc vitam reprobos manent; fitque ipsorum consideratione ut mortales enfugeant peccata, quibus daemonum imperium and carnificinam olim in futura vita demerentur.

2 S. CHRYSOSTOME, ad Stagirium, l. 2, n. Two, collar. 450: Anima quidem singulis diebus peccatorum vi corruente, nullus est qui lugeat; si quanto vero corpus hoc patitur, id vere durum atque intolerabile esse vidétur.

3 Contra Adimantum, ©. 47, t. 28 p. 154: Omnis hæc temporalis vindicta infirmos animos terret, ut enutritos sub disciplinena erudiat and a sempternis atque ineffabilibus supplicitis posit avertere: quia plustiment carnales homines quodes quod in præsenti Deus vindicat, quam illud quod futurum minatur.

4 S. PAULIN DE Noze, Poema 23, De S. Felicis nat. Carm. 7, Migne, t. 61, col. 609:

Ecce Redemptoris nostri Malus arte vicissim Luderis illusor. JNE E PE MAC d'Art Le Fit laqueus laqueatus homo, et sua præda latronem Decipit, et capti captivus corporis escam

Dum petit illicitam, letalem devorat hamum.

5 RITUEL ROMAIN, from Exorcizandis obsessed a dæmonio.

6 BB. Acta SS. passim. — Tertullien, Apolog. ©. 23, p. 24: Edatur his aliquis sub tribunalibus vestris quem dæmone acte constet: jussus a quolibet christiano loqui spiritus ille, tam se daemonem confitebitur de vero, quam alibi deum de falso.

trembling, begging, answer and desert the bodies they torment.

XVII. — In order not to expose our beliefs and practices to the mockery of the unbeliever, it is sovereignly important to use the utmost caution when deciding on the characters of evil possession. These characters are certain or only probable. They usually take care of the strangeness of the evil, the extreme agitations of the patient, the blasphemies he utters, the horror he bears out for the holy things'. Whatever these clues provide only conjectures, we will not stop there, because there is too close to the mere probability of error, and that error here gives the malicious and ignorant an opportunity to conclude, against logic doubtless, a particular contempt for the falseness of the whole. To cut short the feints of the imposture and the illusions of the unknown, the two ordinary sources of error in this matter, we will only allege the absolutely demonstrative signs of possession.

The characters assigned by the Roman Ritual fulfil the conditions of perfect certainty. In the opinions preceding the ceremonial of exorcisms, it is recommended that the priest ensure first and foremost the presence of demons, not to believe in them lightly, and to use, to recognize possession, the signs that distinguish it from the atrabilary mood or from some illness. But the signs of the

1 Bona, de Discr. spir. ©. 11, n. 14, p. 264: Agrestes ac ferini mores, vultus truculentus, clamores and ululatus, stupor membrorum, privative vitalium operationum, worriedudo and alia ejusdem generis, sunt signa æquivoca inhabitatis daemonis, quae tantum generant suspicionem. Vehementior oritur ex quibusdam insolitis actibus, ut cum quis in ignem dejicitur vel in aquam; cum laqueo vel præcipitio vitam sibi adimere tentat; cum catenas præduras frangit, aut onera vires excedentia portat; cum blasphemias proffert, sacrarumque rerum contactum horret.

The Rituel t adds that: Talking and hearing languages that have never been learned, discovering distant and hidden things, deploying forces above his age and condition, such as flying at a great distance, standing in the air without a point of support, walking his feet against a vault or ceiling and his head down, lifting burdens that many people could not move; or, if he is a child or a retarded person, deploying forces superior to those of the most robust man °.

We can add to these marks an out-of-line science in a gross person who would not have received any prior instruction, the prompt obedience to exorcisms, and again — but in this we would need the most absolute secret before experimentation and the most attentive circumspection in experimentation itself — the sudden impression made by the unforeseen contact of sacred things, while secular objects would leave indifferent.

1 De Exorcizandis obs.: In primis, it is easy to credat aliquem a dæmonio obsessum esse, sed nota habeat ea signa, quibus obsessus dignoscitur ab iis qui vel atra bile vel morbo aliquo laborant. Signa autem obsidentis dæmonis sunt: Ignota lingua loqui pluribus verbis, vel loquentem intelligere; remoteia and occulta patefacere; vires supra ætatis seu conditionis naturam ostendere; etid genus alia, quae, cum plurima concurrunt, majora sunt indicia.

2 Bona, de Discr. spir. v. 11, n. 44, p. 264: Signa autem univoca ac fere certa sunt: cum quis lingua peregrina loquitur quam nunquam didicit; cum litterarum atque artium ignarus legit, scribit, pingit and ex arte cantat; aut de rebus altissimis dissertit qui nunguam studuit, cum occulta adeo ignota ut nulla industria vel ingenio humano sciri posint, sive præterita sint, sive præsentia, sive futura; cum eodem temporis momento quo fiunt enuntiat quae facta sunt in remotissimis regionibus.

Chapter XI

The Despotic Irruptions — III. The Remedies

Magic remedies, assuming their effectiveness, are never lawful. — Are there any natural ones? Theories which led several ancient Fathers to think so. — Biblical and other facts which seem to favor this feeling. — Nature did not direct antidotes against demons. — Supernatural remedies are the only effective ones. — These means are: sacramental confession, — the divine Eucharist, — the intervention of saints and their relics, — sacramentals, in particular the holy water, — the cross, — the holy names of Jesus and Mary, — exorcisms. — Power given by Jesus Christ to the Church to adjure demons, and exercise that power. — Form of these adjurations. — Theirs. — The Catholic Church alone has the power to exorcise demons. — Appropriate precautions before proceeding with exorcisms. — Rules to be followed and to be followed in the operation. — Signs of deliverance and the action of graces. — The above-mentioned supernatural means also serve against obsessions.

I. — We have described evil; we must make known the remedies.

These remedies were asked of the devil himself, nature and God. We admit that the divine antidotes, but we cannot completely ignore what has been said about the evil and natu-

They're all right. Let us proceed by means of disposal, and from a

extreme to go to the other, let's start with the most:

Abject, Satan.

There is no harm in curing his defiant liars, no inextricable situation that they do not commit themselves to undo. They abound in recipes against all pain, even against the most pronounced evil importunities. Use their intervention to conjure the

the same principle which makes them act, would expose themselves to a redoubt.

This is the most important thing in the world, and it is not the only way to do this.

However, possessions and obsessions may cease or be suspended by these kinds of practices. To explain this withdrawal, it is not necessary to assume the injunction of a higher demon forcing the subordinate demon to retire from the man-dominated demon. The only point on which the revolted angels agree is the hatred of God and the ruin of his creature!; so if Satan withdraws himself under the action of a magic sign, it is that his perfidy lends himself to everything that can cover his tricks and better ensure his blows; he suspends an evil only to produce a greater one; he unties the body only in order to chain the soul, loving more than a thousand times to act as a master over souls.

Whatever the effectiveness of these means, their use is unlawful and detestable, firstly because the act of the evil agents is a crime for which the direct opportunity is provided; and secondly, because these practices carry with them a rap-

1 GUILLAUME DE Paris, de Universo, 2% P. princip. pars 3%, ©. 15, t.4 p. 1045: Odium et va qua in Creatorem benedictum et homines éxardescunt, tibi attendenda est. Illa namque duo pacatos esse ad invicem hoc modo effective, ut se invicem non impugnant, quin potius se ad invicem coadjuvent in impugnationem nostram.

Voluntary, at least mediated, with the blasphemous angel

and corruptor.

4 The only case in which the Magijcien can be lawfully approached to stop a demonic incursion is when the evil is the effect of a permanent malice of which he is the author; nothing prevents him from being forced to refrain from doing wrong; he is only asked for a negative contest? to which he is bound.

Our conclusion on the value and morality of magic recipes against possessions and obsessions is therefore that, far from prejudging Satan's violence, they usually have the effect of redoubling his rage and that, they should succeed, it is never allowed to resort to it, because they involve a contest, at least tacit, with God's declared enemy.

The same would not be true of natural remedies, assuming that they exist, because we do not see why their use would be prohibited.

Is there actually one?

II. — Many, if not many, have believed in the existence and effectiveness of these kinds of remedies, and if we look for what may have inclined to this strange feeling, we find at the starting point theories and facts.

1 SUAREZ, from Relg. tr. 3, L. 9, c. 18, n. 6, t. 13, p: 593: Hinc aperte conclusionditer non licere petere a mago ut maleficium maleficio tollat, quantumvis paratus sit. Satis enim paratus est dæmon, a quo non liket id postulare; quamvis per magum. Quia petere a mago ut maleficium faciat ad tollendum maleficium, nihil aliud est quam petere ab illo ut id a dæmone obtineat, tanquam ejus amicus et socius, qui cum illo pactus habet; ergo qui hoc peti a mago, per illum petit a dæmone, quod ejusdem malitiæ est,

2 SUAREZ, ibid., n. 8, p. 594: Unus homo potest ab alio cogi, and de facto, propter majores vires, vel etiam jure, quando sine inductione ad malum ct sine injustitia id prouri potest. Utrumque autem horum concurrit in coactionc magi ad destruendum maleficium, quando sine maleficio potest and ideo talis coactio interdum liket circa magum, nunquam vero circa dæmonem,

ï 1 j * c0 in see

230% 2° section: the diabolical parodies.

We know that the ancient Fathers! assumed angels, and especially fallen angels, clothed with more or less subtle bodies, subject therefore to the sensitive influences of the material world. This doctrine, once laid down, is led to admit that these angels, subject to cosmic laws, are attracted or rejected by some form of matter; experience will learn which bodies the approach of which delights or tortures demons, and, to put them on the run, there will only be to oppose them what hurts and revolts their senses.

This conclusion, rightly deduced, is compromised by the falseness of the principle from which it is drawn; for it is a certain point? that angels, either good or bad, are purely spiritual substances. The theory of the corporeity of angels cannot therefore serve as a basis for the one who subjects them to the sensitive influences of material beings.

II. — The facts are more embarrassing. Two of them, as reported in the Bible, require special attention.

Here's the first one.

The Spirit of the Lord, is it said in the first Book of Kings, that he departed from Saul, and in his place and by his permission the evil spirit began to torment this poor prince,

MPrrav, Theol dogm, de Angelis, L 3p Cent LD 582 AMi quiores porro theologi, qui adversus ethnos et eorum profana numina, hoc est dæmones, pen certabant, uno ore, crassos illos et dauxodc, id est materiæ constants esse dictitant, atque aerium, sed sordidum ac fæculentum habere corpus; quam etiam ob causam, hostiarum nestore, ac pinguedine famoque pasci eos aclectari.

2 Suarez of Angelis, I. €4. 6, n. 6, t. 2, p. 22. Hanc assertionem hoc tempore fere certam esse judico, propter Ecclesiae consensum, cum definitione fere manifeste (C. Lateran. 1v), and in Scriptura and Patribus funddata.

3 I Reg. xv1, 14-29: Spiritusautem Domini requires Saul and exagitabat eum spiritus nequam, in Domino. Dixeruntque served Saul ad eum: Ecce spiritus Dei malus exagitate you. Jubeat dominus noster, and served tui that coram thou sunt, queer hominem scientem psallere cithara, ut quando arripuerit te spiritus Domini malus, psallat manu sua, and levius will do.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: REMARKS 237 point that he was seen turning into his house with the most violent of fury. His servants offered to bring to his person someone who could touch the harp, so that, at the moment when the evil spirit would stir, he would be relieved by the sweet chords of this instrument: and the young David was told him to play harp. David was commanded and brought to the king, who loved him and made him his squire. "And every time," said the sacred text, "that the evil spirit seized Saul, David took his harp and played it; and Saul was comforted and relieved; for the evil spirit withdrew from him."

Is it necessary to see in the evil of which Saul suffered a true possession, and in this case, how did David's music have the virtue of calming down these accesses?

Interpreters commonly hear Saul's evil of true possession, taking the form of a dark melancholy whose violence went as far as wrath? It remains to be seen whether this dark sadness was the occasional effect or cause of the evil eruption, which is not indifferent to deciding how David, playing the harp, calmed the king's agitations.

Those who seek in nature specifics against the demon's assaults believe that here they have support for their thesis; perhaps this is to pose in principle what would need to be demonstrated. Some thought that David, already pleasing to God, was calming Saul by the prayer which he acquiesced-

1 I Reg. xvi, 23: Igitur quandocumque spiritus Domini malus arripiebat Saul, David tollebat citaram, and percutiebat manu sua, and recocillabatur Saul, and levius habebat; recedebat enim ab eo spiritus malus.

2 CORNEL. In Lar. Com. in I Reg. xvi, 15, n. 3: Verius alii censent escapesse diabolum, qui non tantum exterius vexavit Saulem, uti vexavit Job; sed etiam interius eum posederit, eumque diris phantasmatibus, tristitiis, mæroribus, anxietatibus, doloribus afs/lixerit and per vices exagitarit; hic enim proprie est and vocatur spiritus nequum. Ab eo ergo possessus leaks Saul, factusque energumenus et daemonicus, ita ut per vices, ab eo exagitatus, deliraret, insaniret, ferret.

+R ns

The accords of his harp were: pious supposition Hate sacred torian n'insinue or condemn. Others see two things in Saul's access: possession and the black melancholy that followed; David could not do anything against possession, but he relieved the discomfort that it caused. The sacred text seems to indicate more, because it expressly states that David's harmonious music forced the demon to retire.

To these interpretations, could we not add another one, which leaves the biblical account in its literal integrity, namely: that Saul gave to the attacks of the evil spirit by his atrabilary mood, and that, dissipating by the natural charm of a sweet melody these melancholic impressions, David made him peace and put the demon to flight?

As we can see, the sacred text does not strictly conclude here that the material elements are directly effective against the evil eruptions.

The second example taken from Scripture seems more explicit. The angel Raphael recommends to the young Tobie to preserve as precious specifics the heart, liver and gall of the fish that caused him so much fear. The honey dissolves the blindfolds; the heart and the liver run away from the demons; for, said angel to his protégé, if it is put on the ember, the smoke that comes out of it casts out any spirit that torments either a man or a woman. While waiting for the gall to be used to restore the view to old Tobie, the opportunity will present itself to experience the second antidote. At the word of his guide, Tobie accepts as wife Sarah, the unfortunate daughter of Raguel, whose demon Asmodée has already killed seven husbands successively on the first night of their wedding; but he,

1 Tob. vi, 8.9: And repdens angelus, dixit ei: Cordis ejus particulam si super carbons ponas, fumus ejus extricat omne genus dæmoniorum, sive a viro, sive a muliere, ita ut ultra non accedat ad eos.

‘Escape the sad fate that threatens him, cares to do e e

smoking the heart and liver of the fish on burning coals; and, the sacred text adds, "the angel Raphael took the devil and relegated him to the desert of Upper Egypt."

Should this fumigation be attributed direct effectiveness on the evil mind? No notable interpreter dared to claim it?; but many believe that this virtue was supernaturally attached to it by God, as he has, according to them, attached to other bodies, to herbs, to stones, to metals, the effect of repelling demons, thus subjecting them, in punishment for their pride, to the inferior elements of nature. It is unbelievable that this virtue is maintained in this fish that no one knows, and less yet believeable that one application is sufficient by itself to forever rule out the devil, as the text declares from this wonderful specific. *

Others want this fumigation to have acted directly

on the organs to dissipate the dark moods that attract

1 Tob. vm, 2, 3: Recordatus itaque Tobias sermonum angeli, protulit de cassidili suo partem jecoris, posuitque eam super carbons vivos. Tunc Raphael angelus apprehendit dæmonium, and religavit illud in deserto superioris Ægypti.

2 Scnorr, Phys. curios., l. Two cents. 40, p. 342: No screw naturalis rerum corporearum potest direct agere in dæmonem, atque ideo nec odor, nec fumigatio, nec herbæ, lapides aliæve res sensibiles queæcunque posunt direct ac physice illos abigiere sive a locis sive ab hominibus. Ita S. Thomas, etc. etc., and rain in cap. 6 vel 8 Tobiæ, cum aliis multis... Impossibile ergo est, ut bene infert Abulensis loco cit. and cum ipso plerique alii, quod minor potestas, qualis est rerum corporearum, subjiciat sibi dæmonem.

3 CORNEL. A Lap., in Tobiam vi, 8: Quæres, qua vi ac virtute piscis hujus cor æque ac fel, vı. 8, runaway dæmones? Valesius, bag. Philos., ©. 28, dicit pisci huic virtutem supernaturalem a Deo fuisse tributam ad fugandum dæmbnes... Favent Guliel. Paris. 1. from Universo, Dionys. Carth., Petrus Gregor. Tolosanus, Syntagm. juris, l. 34, €. 22, Yesterday. Mengus, in flagello daemonum, dicentes dæinones ob superbiam a Deo subjici certis corporibus àc herbis. Verum hec virtus in hoc pisce is inaudita, nec unica ejus fumigatio potuit habere vim perpetuo arcendi dæmonem, iea ut ultra non-accedat, ut hic dicitur.

and retain the devil, and let the intermediary of Vange have completed deliverance!.

We would like even better, with Thyreus?, Corneille-la-Pierre è, the commentators and the most serious theologians, to attribute the result in its entirety, not to the liver, heart or smoke, but to the prayers and merits of Sara and Tobie, who determined the competition of the angel, the only and true author of deliverance. That if the angel seemed to link the demon's escape to the external condition he had prescribed, it was in order not to reveal himself before the hour to the young Tobie and to continue with him, under the appearances of the man, his tutelary mission.

In addition to these facts on the sacred pages, Christian annals and secular history provide more or less certain, more or less specious ones. We will mention only one, narrated by Flavien Josephus; he deserves all the more attention as he served to qualify the so-called natural specifics used against the demon.

It is known from Scripture that Solomon possessed an admi-

1 CORNEL. A Lap., ibid.: Planius and plenius Lyran., Serar., and Abulensis in 1 Reg. 16, q. 46, and Pererius in Danielem censent famum cordis piscis Callionymi (this is, according to Corneille-la-Pierre, the fish referred to here) expulisse dæmonem inchoate vi naturali, ut insinuat hic Raphael, sed complete vi angelica et celesti.

2 De Dæmoniac. P. 3.0, 48, n. 23, p. 178: Quid igitur is quod dæmonium profligavit? Fumus? No. Raphael angelus proglivit. - What's that? An ob excitatum futum? Nec hoc etiam. Verum tamen quando excitatus is fumus, profligatus is daemon. If quid his præter operas angeli leaks quod daemonium profligavit, fuerunt merita acorations Tobiæ and Sara.

3 CORNEL. In Lar., ibid. Completa tamen causa abigens dæmonem leaks Raphael angelus, who, ad suppleum jecoris, propter merita and orationem Tobiæ fugabat dæmonem. Hoc autem tacuit Raphael, and suffrum prætexuit does not patefaceret neve Tobias sciret eum esse angelum, quem quasi hominem habebat viæ committee and ducem... Non ergo jecur piscis, sed Raphael apprehendit and fugavit dæmonem.

4 See. D. CaLuer, In dæmonem Asmodæum essay. Migne, Grand Course of Holy Scripture, t. 12, Col. 633-648.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: REMARKS 241. According to the grave historian of the Jewish nation, God had given him the secrets of the physical world, so that he would teach men to use it for the relief of their pains and against the attacks of demons. To this end, he had composed recipes against various diseases and left in writing formulas that conjured the demons and stopped their importunities. "These exorcisms are still in great use among us," Josephus continues? speaking of the Jews, "and I have seen myself a certain Eleazar of our nation, healing many possessed in the presence of Vespasian, his sons, his officers and his army." This is how this man did it. He placed under the nose of the demoniac a ring whose kitten contained a root designated by the great king, and this smell forced the demon to come out by the nostrils of the man he possessed; then he adjured the evil spirit, reciteing formulas due to Solomon, to no longer return °.

That's not all. To show spectators the full power of his art, this strange exorcist put a vase full of water at a distance and commanded the demon to overthrow him as a sign of his exit +.

1 Antiquit. Judaic., 1. 8, c. 2, Sigismund de Ghélen, t. 4 p. 237: Nullius enim horum naturam ignoravit aut inscrutatam reliquit....; eam rem divinitus consecutus is ad utilitatem and medelam hominum, quae adversus daemones is effective. Incantations enim composuit, quibus morbi pelluntur, and conjurationum modos scriptos reliquite, quibus cedentes daemones ita fugantur, ut in posterum nunquam reverti audeant.

2 Ibid. Atque hoc sanctionis genus nunc usque plurimum apud nostrates pollet. Vidi enim ex popularibus meis quemdam Eleazarum, in presentia Vespasiani, and filiorum and trinorum reliquorum milium, mullos arrepticios percurantem.

3 Jbid. Modus vero curationis erat his. Admoto naribus dæmoniaci annulo, sub cujus sigillo includeda erat radicis species a Salomone indicatæ, ad ejus olfatum per nasum extrahebatur dæmonium; and collapso mox homine, adjurabat id ne amplius rediret, Salomonis interim mentionem faciens et incantationses ab illo inventas recitans.

4 Ibid., p. 258: Volens dein Eleazarus his aderant ostere sux artis efficaciam, non longe inde ponebat poculum aut polubrum aqua ple+

Figure 16

y LARTA

What should be said about this story and these practices? Many believed, according to Josephus, that the material elements could possess, either naturally, or through a positive annexation, an antipathetic virtue to the evil spirits, and from there came to the natural recipes used against these spirits the name of Solomon's exorcisms. According to others, if Solomon instituted exorcisms, it is about a particular revelation of God, but nature itself is alien to these kinds of results. Finally, the common feeling is that this Eleazar was a magician and that these practices imputed to Solomon were purely superstitious. The only staging described by Josephus is sufficient to demonstrate this: these ridiculous experiments performed before the crowd are not the gravity and decency of a divine institution, and it would be even less serious to attribute such effects to pure nature!

IV. — This last solution is ours, and we extend to all cases of the same kind. The reasons for this are simple. To affirm the effectiveness of a means, one must perceive a connection with the result to be achieved; however, there is no intrinsic proportion between the material energies and the action exerted on the spirits. Alone

num, imperabatque daemonio hominem exeunti, ut his subversis signum daret specantibus quod reliquiset hominem.

1 G. Scuorr, Phys. curios., l. 4, ©. 15 § 5, p. 570: Ad radicem Salomonis aio, non ipsam solem virtute naturali abegisse dæmones, sed adhibitam cum adjutureibus seu exorcismis, quae Dei auctoritate instituat Salomon, si vera sunt quae Josephus cit. loc. narrat. An vero Eleazarus ille virtute exorcismi Salomonici ejecerit dæmones, dubium videri possesse alicui, quando quidem id post Christi adventum and Evangelium per Judæam promotedlgatum contigit. Certe DeLRIO, 1. 2, Disg. mag., q. 30, sect. 3, credit Eleazarum illum esfesse magum et per signum pacti operatum; idque colligit ex circumstantiis quae apud Josephum loc. cit. apponuntur. Fortassis etiam verum non is adjurations and radicem illam, quibus tunc Judæi utebantur in dæmonibus shoveldis, escaping at Salomone instituteas, sed a superstitiosis Rabbinis. Quidquid tamen sit, certum is ex dictis radicem illam non habuisse vim naturalem shovendi daemones.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE REMEDIES 243. divine will might attach to these elements a positive virtue; but, apart from the sacraments and blessings of the Church, we do not know any productive sign of a supernatural effect.

This is the feeling of the authors most versed in these subjects, such as Thyreus!, Delrio?, the learned Zacchias*, both physician, forensic and theologian, Benedict XIV+, the most authorized master when it comes to untangle the natural of the devilic and the divine.

We would not, however, want to challenge absolutely all the effectiveness, even indirect, of natural remedies in demonic eruptions. We have already said that these invasions may have an organic disorder as a condition; in this case, the evil being removed by natural reagents, the imports to which it gives will also cease.

Therefore, against the demon's access in the form of a characterized disease, medical prescriptions can and must be used. If the evil gives way, it must not be concluded that the medicines have acted on the mind, but on the body, to fight and destroy what is

1 De Dæmoniac. P. 3, ©. 48, n. 2, p. 174: Cum enim prorsus spirituales creaturæ sint dæmones, spiritualiumautem illa sit conditio ut londe post ses omnes res corporeas relinquant, non male tenerimus proui non pose ut in ipsos res sensibiles agant, vim iis afferant, sedibus sui pellant.

2 Disquisite, magic.. 2, q. 30, sect. 3, t. 4 p. 647: Infertur nulla verba... nullasque res corporales habere facultatem direct et per se dae* monem cogendi, ut appareat, accedat, fugiat, aliquid faciat vel facere desinat. None namque corporalia robur substantiarum spiritualium ac separatarum posunt æquare. Ideo nihil ab his naturaliter dæmones pati posunt, liquet quent supernaturaliter.

3 Quæst. medico-legal., l. 4, t. 4, q. 5, n. 25, t. 4 p. 279: Tametsi contoversum sit an dæmones arte medica ejici possint et naturali quodam remedio, et pro assertiva sententia facient queæ adduxi 1. Two, title. 4, q. 48, absolute tamen dicendum nunc videtur nullum possesses natural remedium de directo contra dæmones and result in nulla arte, nullove remedio, nisi supernaturali, ex obsessis corporibus dæmones ejici possess.

* From Serv. Dei beatific.,,, 4, P. 1, c. 29, n. 7.

Eaia nrn ea

He served as a primer. Usually it is the opposite: the demon produces disease rather than disease calls me the demon; and, when it is so, the natural agents lose all virtue. It is not that the remedies themselves tend to cure the bodily malaise; but the demons that cause it are more active in maintaining it than the remedies to make it disappear, and, through direct resistance, they can even deprive them of any effectiveness '. It is only by way of exception that the evil of which they are the perpetrators would yield, while they continue their abuse, to the natural specifics?.

Therefore, we must not ask the nature of antidotes against possession and obsession. On the other hand, the use of the demon or its agents is a crime which, far from lifting the evil, usually only causes it to get exasperated. Who, then, should you turn to, if not to God?

V.—God rarely grants the demon to exercise the open violence of possession and obsession, and, when he permits it, he does not leave man helpless in these appalling extremities. It seems even to release the bridle to the tempter only to give the believers the double proof of his rage and weakness, and to show the prey to the beast beast only to bring him to the snare, according to the righteous and poetic comparison already quoted by Saint Paulin of

1 Suarez, De Relig. 3, 1, 2, ç. 17, n. 7 t. 13, p. 586: If performed pendet semper ab arte mala et a daemone, parum proderunt naturalia remedia, vel medicinæ, whoa, si permittatur a Deo, dæmon potest facile impedire talium remediorum eflicactatem, vel adhibendo contraria resistentia, vel corrumpendo ipsa medicamenta, vel vias obstruendo, aliterve impediendo does not applycentur.

- What? Scuram, Theol. myst., t. 1, § 218, p. 385: Primum remedium vel administrationculum est juvari per curationem medicam, in quantum sine periculo and cum aliquo profectu humores a dæmone alterati and perturbati corrigi posunt. Potest enim contingere quod dæmon morbo quidem a se illato, sed ceteroquin naturali, uti hypochondria vel epilepsia, torqueat; potest etiam proui ut dæmon non permittatur medicamentis obsistere vel morbum reno» vare aut novum inferre.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: REMEDIES 245 Nole‘. The authority of the Church, the divine virtue of the sacraments, and the prerogatives of holiness burst forth magnificently in these horrific and grandiose scenes, where Satan, directly questioned, is forced to obey the man commanding in the name of Jesus Christ, escapes from the only aspect of God's servants, from the blessed sign of the cross, from the contact of the holy relics and sacred things.

We need to make known these supernatural processes, the only real ones, to drive out demons. What we are going to say is mainly suitable for possession; we will specify to what extent these remedies are applicable to obsession.

The Roman Ritual reports most of the means to be used against demonic eruptions. We can't take a safer guide. It is also easy to relate to these statements the various assertions of the authors who have dealt with these matters.

VI.—The first counsel to be given to the person whom Satan tyrannises is that of an entire inner purification? Since the ordinary cause of evil is sin, it must first be removed by a humble and sincere confession.* A general confession could, above all, by the salutary humiliation that accompanies, accelerate

1 Poem, 23, v. 79-81; Migne, Patr.t. 61, col. 609.

Fit laqueus laqueatus homo; e Capti captivus corporis escam Dum petit illicitam, lethalem devorat hamum.

2 RITUEL, of Exorcizandis obsessive: Admoneatur obsessive, if lying and corpore valeat, ut pro se oret Deum, ac jejunet, and sacra confessione et communione sæpius ad arbitrium a de se communiat.

5 ScuraM, Theol. myst., t. 4, § 219, p: 385: Secundum remedium is purgatio consciousiæ, and gaiek; si sit RME. per confessionem generalem. et deinde cum emendatione frequentem usum sacramenti Poenitentiæ; si tepidus sit, per renovationem fervoris...; si perfectioni studeat, se curiose perscrutando an non strong peccatum aliquod etiam veniàle aut passio in eo lateat ad cujus purgationem malum hoc evenit, quae proinde studiose eradicanda sunt.

DUAL A QU, e L x y- lat, LTÉE 3; #4 AA + Te AU Fi 1 5?

216 and proud spirit +. The result would be more quickly and surely achieved if, at the confession of faults and sacramental absolution, prayer and the practices of penance were joined. Fasting is reported by Our Lord? as having a special effectiveness against some demons that are more difficult to reduce, especially against others.

VII. — The Church uses the sacrament of the altar in several ways to remove man from Satan's despotism.

She recommends first to the possessed to join the practice of confession the use of the Eucharist. It is, in fact, a constant rule to give this heavenly food to demoniacs sufficiently prepared and calm enough to receive it with decency. The Council of Elvire, as Fr. Morin * advances until the middle of the m° century and generally placed * in the first years of the 1st century, decrees, despite the severity of his discipline, that communion will not be refused to the energistsÿ. The first council of Orange £, held in 441, orders to give it to those who desire their deliverance and show themselves docile to the opinions of the cleres charged with their conduct; and, to the testimony of Cassien? relating a dialogue on this subject between the two

1 See A. Monin, the Curé d'Ars, L. 3, ch. 2, t. 4 p. 439.

2 Matth., xvi, 20: Hoc autem genus non ejicitur nisi per orationem and jejunium.

3 De Pænit., l. 4, ©. 5, p. 175: Tertullianum sequitur conciliaum Eliberitanum, sed sanctum Cyprianum, mea quidem sententia, antecedit.

4 See. Ricaarp, Analysis of Councils, t. 1, c. 187.

5 Conc. Eliberat. 305, can. 37, Larse, t. 4, C. 974: Eos who ab immundis spiritibus vexantur..., so faithful fuerint, dandam esse communionem.

6 Conc. Arausic. 1, Can. 14, LABBE, t. 3, C. 1450: Energumeni jam baptizati, if purgation sua curant, and solicitudini clericorum tradunt, obtemperant monitisque, omnimodis communicent; sacramenti ipsius virtute vel munendi ab incursu daemonii quo infestantur, vel purgandi quorum jam ostenditur vita purgatior.

7 Coll. 7, c. 30, Migne, t. 49, col. 705: Communionem vero eis sacrosane-

Cenobites Germain and Serene, the ancient Fathers believed

that, if it were possible, they should be given it every day. Without going so far, the Roman Ritual! leaves it to the priests to decide to what extent they should admit these unfortunate ones to the Eucharistic table.

The book ?, attributed by several to Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, but probably by a contemporary author, and native to Africa, contains on the use of the Eucharist against the evil possession a memorable fact of which we have already spoken. A young girl, possessed of the devil for having, while she was bathing herself, cast on a statue of Venus and on herself impudent gazes, spent eighty-five days without being able to swallow a single drop of water; yet she ate. At night a black bird came to pour into his mouth a mysterious food that maintained his strength and even gave him the most beautiful appearances of health. She was brought to church on a Sunday, and after the Mass the priest presented to her the body of the Lord soaked in the kind of wine; but for half an hour she did so.

tam a senioribus nostris nunquam meminimus interdictam, quin imo si possibile esset, etiam quotidie eis impartiale eam debere censebant.

1 De Exorcizandis obsess.: Admoneatur obsessed... sacra confessione and communione sæpius ad arbitrium sacerdotis se communiat.

2 Lib. of Promises and Predict. P. 4, ©. Six, pass. 842: Quaedam juvencula Araba natione, ancillæ Dei habitum gestans, cum in balneo lavans simulacrum quoddam Veneris impudice respiceret et seipsam, eique ses consimilans, domicilium se diabolo præbuit... Accidit autem ut quintus decimus dominicus illusceret dies. Ascendente nobiscum priestdote, ut matutinum illic sacricum solito offerretur, puellam præpositus ad altare perexit eo incessu et habitu quo solent rubore perfusæ ex epulis poculisque mulières adventire... Peracto itaque sacricio, cum eadem inter cæteras brevem particulam corporis Domini tinctam a sacerdote perciperet, semihora mandens trajicere not worth... Manu igitur faciem ejus sustenante sacerdote, ne sanctum projiceret, a quodam diacono suggestum est, ut chalicem salutarem gutturi ejus pontifex applicaret. Quod ut factum est, statim ut locum illum quem diabolus obsederate Salvatoris imperio reliquit, sacramentum quod ore gestabat cum laude Redemptoris transglutisse puella clamavit,

248, , vain efforts to swallow it. While the priest supported her head, from the point of view that she allowed the divine species to fall down, a deacon proposed to approach the neck of the possessed the chalice of salvation. They did so, and immediately the passage opened, and the demon cut off in this part of the body fled, to the great joy of the people, who broke out in thanksgiving.

This way of dispensing the Eucharist to the energists has succeeded more than once in delivering them; it is not, however, to be advised as the rule to be followed in order to achieve this result; these experiments expose to unfortunate inconveniences. The Roman Ritüel! recommends not to approach the divine sacrament from the head of the possessed or any other part of his body, because of the peril of irreverence. But he can be presented to him standing at a certain distance, and sum the demon, by the God of the tabernacle, to abandon his victim. Yet it is necessary that the energist be sufficiently quiet, or retained in such a way that he cannot be desecrated. In the exorcisms practiced on Nicole de Vervins? and on the possessed of Loudun °, the Eucharist was made a less reserved use than the Rituel required. Without blaming experiences that served to highlight in the eyes of Protestants the dogma rejected by them of the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, we can only exhoriate ourselves from the precautions and prescriptions issued by the Church for these perilous encounters.

More than once, however, God's servants, strong

1 De Exorcisandis obsess.: Sanctissima vero Eucharistia super caput obsessi aut aliene ejus cormori non admoveatur, ob irreverentiæ periculum.

2 See J. Rocer, History of Nicole de Vervins after contemporary historians and eyewitnesses, or the triumph of the Blessed Sacrament over the demon, in Laon, in 1556. Paris, 1863.

3 See. , Review and critical discussion of the history of Loudun's devils.

DESPOTICAL IRRUPTIONS: REMEDIES 249 of their trust in the virtue of holy hosthood, through his contact, reduced Satan to abhor and forced him to withdraw from his despotic domination. The life of St Bernard, in particular, presents examples of this. Perhaps it is right to recognize here the two powers gathered from there divine Eucharist and holiness.

VII. — The saints, in fact, are the most formidable adversaries of the invading and disturbing spirit. It is reported in the life of many that, as they approached, the demons shouted through the mouths of the possessed and, through this violence, at the torture inflicted upon them by the presence of God's servants alone. We do not speak of Our Lord, the Holy One of the saints, who commanded demons in master, and imposed silence upon them, and a word drove them out of the bodies they tormented. The apostles received to a wonderful degree this empire over the filthy spirits, as promised to them by the Saviour. The shadow alone of Saint Peter healed the infirm and delivered the possessed?. The linens that had been used by Saint Paul and the belt he had worn had the same virtue. In one word, the same apostle forced the demons to flee. ‘ Saint Philip renews these wonders in Samaria, so brilliantly that the too famous Simon the Magician converts for a moment to the Christian faith.

We will not begin to tell of the exploits of the saints against Satan and the victorious empire with which they cast him out of the bodies he tyrants. Among the most famous by this kind of prodigies, we will point out the ancients

1 AnxauD, BB. 20 Aug., t. 38. p. 282, n. 97: Patenæ siquidem calicis sacrum Domini corpus imponens, and mulieris capiti superponens, etc.

2 Act v, 15 and 16.

3 Act. XIX, 12.

4 Act. xvi, 18.

SAACL vim, 7.

cenobites: Hilarion ‘, Antoine °, Pacomo °, Macaire d

lexandria#, and following them, among the multitude, Saint Gregory the Thaumaturge, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Geneviève of Paris, Saint John Gualbert, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Philip of Néri ®. This gift erupted above all in Saint Bernard ‘!, especially during his journey to Italy to extinguish the schism of Peter of Leo: through the cities where he passes, to Milan, Padua, to Cremona, the unfortunate ones are brought to him, whom the demon assailates and tortures, and the saint abbot delivers them by a simple prayer, resting on their heads, as we said, the adorable Eucharist, giving them to drink water of which he washed his hands, or in several other ways.

To the virtue of the saints, binds one that of their relics. Their glorious tombs have always been seen as refuges against the tyranny of demons. In particular, we will point out those of Saint Martin de Tours? and Saint John Gualbert #.

It is not only the mortal remains of God's servants who cast out the spirits of darkness, but also all that has been used for their use or worship. We refrain from multiplying the examples and the accounts; whoever

1 S. Jerômr, Vita S. Hilarionis, n. 20-23, Migne, t. 23, Col. 36.

2 5. ATHASEAN, Vita S. Antonii, n. 62-64, Migne, t. 26, col. 931.

3 BB. 14 mall; t. 16, p. 398, n. 35.

4. BB. 2 januar, t. 1, p. 88, n, 26.

5 S. GREEGORY OF Nyssa, Vita S. Gregor. Thaum., Migne, t. 46, col. 919, 942.

6 Suurice SÉVÈRE, from Vita B. Martini, c. 19, 17, Migne, t. 20, col. 167-170,

7 BB. 8 Jan., t. 1, p. 140-142.

8 Jerome De RazzioLo, BB. 19 Jul., t. 30, p. 364.

9 P, Jerome DE SAINT-JOSEPH, Abstract of the life of Saint John of the Cross, ch. 14, p. 186.

10 Jerome BARNABEI, BB. 26 Mayi, t. 19, p. 602, n. 479 et seq.

11 ARNOULD, BB. 20 Aug., t. 38, p. 280-287.

12 S. GREGORY OF Towers, of Mirac. S. Martini, 1.14, ©. 38; — 1. 4, C. 24, 38, Migne, t. 71, col. 938-1004.

13 Jerome DE RAzzioLO, BB. 12 Jul., t. 30, p. 366-427.

f: re

Despotic eruptions: remedies 9251

has travelled the lives of the saints knows how many t these wonders are. But we must not ignore the Church's prescriptions on the use of relics in exorcisms. The Ritual? recommends that exorcists, as far as possible, make sure that holy relics are wrapped and covered carefully, in order to preserve them from desecration, and then approach them with respect to the head or chest of the possessed person. The contact of these blessed and sanctified remains is to demons like burning coals that burn them. IX.—Sacramentals and objects consecrated by the prayers of the Church also enjoy special efficiency. Blessed water, in particular, has always been used to run away from unclean spirits.' The formulas of the Ritual assign this virtue to him in the most express way, and the Church, which uses it in most other blessings, recommends particularly the use of it in public adjugations against Satan. According to Saint Teresis, the holy water would be more effective than the cross

1 See Tavree, from Dæmoniacis, P. 3, ©. 43, p. 137.

2 De Exorcizandis obsess.: Reliquiæ quoque sanctorum, ubi haberi posint, decenter ac tuto colligatæ, and coopertæ, ad pectus vel caput obsessi reverenter admovantur; sed caveatur ne res sacræ indigne travertur, aut illis a daemone ulla fiat injuria.

3 Tayreus of Dæmoniac. P. €3. 45, p. 152: Reviewatur modus quartus, quo per usum Rerum consecratarum dæmonia ex humanis corporibus ejicuntur.

4 ManrTieny, Dict, antiq. chrét., word EAU BÉNITE.

5 Ordo ad fafiendam aquam benedictam: Exorcizo te... ut fias aqua exorcizata ad effigandam omnem potostatem inimici, and ipsum inimicum eradicare and explantare valeas cum angelis suis apostaticis... Ut ubicumque fuerit aspersa, per invocationem sancti tui nominis, omnis infestatio immundi spiritus abigatur, terrorque venenosi serpentis procul pellatur.

6 De Exorcizandis obsess.: Aqua benedicta aspergat, quam exorcizando in promptu habeat.

7 Her life by herself, ch. 31: I will experience many times, nothing equals the power of holy water to drive out demons and prevent them from returning; they also flee from the appearance of the cross, but they return. The virtue of this water must therefore be very great!

Re ROUE PJ dy Arte j RY PEN Sy

to cast out demons; but the Father. Ribera t, his historian, wisely notes that the saint tells her experiences rather than nassigne of rule, and that God grants, at his will, more virtue sometimes to one sign and sometimes to another.

X.—Whether the relative superiority of the cross over the other signs used against demons, it is at least certain that it is an extremely formidable symbol for them? The parcels of the true cross are, of all relics, the most precious and venerated, the one that inspires the most terror and horror to the cursed angels, because it is the memorial of their great defeat.

The image alone of the cross is enough to put them on the run. That is why the Ritual prescribes the exorcists to bring the crucifix, to hold it in their hands or to have it in front of their eyes.

The sign of the cross marked with the hand has always been used among Christians as a sovereign condom against Satan, his practices and his violence*, and Pchille, which brings back to this form most of the blessings it confers, multiplies more particularly the sign of the cross in exorcisms. It was by the sign of the cross that God's servants operated the deliverances and

1 BB. 45 Oct., t. 55, p: 673, n: 94.

2 G. Scnotr, Phys. curios.,s. 2, C. 40, § 4, p. 318: Quae sancti Patres, quae scriptores antiqui, quae omnium sæculorum historici de sanctæ Crucis signaculo contra dæmonum spectra, larvas, insidias, infestations, temptationsque scripserunt, talia sunt ut nepse cacodæmon contradicere, aut secuse interpretari audeat.

3 De Exorcizandis obsess.: Habeat præ manibus vel in perspective crucifixum.

4 J. GRETSER, from Sancta Cruce, l. 4, ©. 41, p. 733: Diximus supra ex Tertulliano, Lactantio and Athanasio, quo modo dæmones ex obsessis corporibus, vi et efficacia signaculi crucis a Christianis editi, sint profligati and exterminatati. Restat ut, uberioris doctrinæ gratia, id hoc loco aliis exemplis confirmmus, ut non modo amici, sed and inimici crucis agnosant crucis potentiam and gloriam.

NE at SATA oý

- DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE REMEDIES 253. chased demons!, as one can convince by browsing their acts in the collection of Bollandists and other hagiographs.

This is the virtue of the sign of the cross that one of the greatest enemies of the Christian name, Julien the Apostate, having traced this sign on his forehead, in a magical evocation that glazed him with terror, the appearance ceased immediately. We have this account of Saint Gregory of Nazianze?, the contemporary and the condisciple of the renegat emperor, Theodoret? and Sozomene +*.

XI. — The holy name of Jesus is even more powerful to repel demons, and he has become, according to the promise of the Saviour è, a sort of sacrament against these rebellious angels. We see the apostles, St Paul ê in particular, instructing demons, by this sacred name, to abandon the bodies they possess, and they immediately come out. From the beginning of the Church, the practice is established of commanding by the blessed name of Jesus to the unclean spirits, and it is by this invocation, accompanied by the sign of the cross, that the saints are accustomed to exert an irresistible empire upon them 7.

1J. Gretser, Sancta Cruce, 1. 4, ©. 41, p. 735: Huc pertinent illæ historiæ quae testantur dæmones a sanctis viris manuum taxatione pulsoses, quae, quia nunquam fiebat sine sine signo crucis, ideo tanquam rem notissimam, scriptores subticuerunt crucis efformationem.

2 Orat. I contra Julian., n. 55 and 56, Migne, Patr. gr., t. 35, col. 579: Rei novitate perculsus, harum enim rerum studium sero amplexus fuerat, ad crucem vetusque remedium confuget, hocque se adversus terrores consignat, eumque quem persequebatur, opitulatorem asciscit, Ac quae sequuntur, magis tremunt. Valuit signaculum, cedunt daemones, pelluntur terrores. -

To Ecclesiastes. Fst., 113.10:

AUS AAE EAE OE

5 Mark. xv1, 17: In nomine meo dæmonia ejicient.

6 Act. xvi, 18: Præcipio tibi in nomine Jesu Christi exire ab ea. And exit eadem hora.

7 Tuyreus of Dæmoniac. P. 3, ©. 42, n.14, p. 131: Formam and rationem daemonia ejicendi per nomen Domini nostri, and Dominus vietur præscripsisse, and apostoli observasse, and viri sancti usurpasse.

4, Migne, t. 82, col. 1086.

Mary's name is also heinous and terrible to demons; the examples of this salutary power are innumerable and justify the general feeling of Christian piety which makes Mary invoke against all the assaults of Satan.

XII. — In addition to these means, which each Christian can oppose evil violence, the Church uses formulas and processes that have a sort of sacramental virtue: it is exorcisms?, a Greek word, which means to bring out by adjudication and command.

All exorcisms are aimed, in fact, at expelling demons from the bodies or places they infest. They were practiced against diseases of extraordinary character, against lightning and hail, against locusts and caterpillars in times when these plagues were viewed as works of Satan, perhaps with an exaggeration of faith, which was followed by an exaggeration of no less unreasonable unbelief. Today, the Church still exorcises the salt and water that she blesses, the catechumens in the baptismal ceremonies, and finally the demoniacs. It is only the latter kind of dexorcism.

XII. — Our Lord had promised to those who would give him their faith that they would astonish the world by their wonders, and the chief of these wonders must be the power to cast out demons {. So, in the early centuries, when faith was in full fulfillment, simple Christians delivered the possessed in the name of Jesus or by

1 G. Scuorr, Phys. curiosa, l. 2, c. 40, § 7, p. 324: De auxilio contra daemones præstito per Dei genitressem Mariam, innumera passim leguntur exempla... Alia duo valde illustria refert Cæsarius, Miracul. 1. €6. 26 and 27, of efficacia nominis Mariæ invocati contra dæmonum præstigias.

2 De sf, ex, et òpxičtw, adjurare.

° Cf. Sacerdotal, c. 26 Venice, 1587. — Ritual de Paris, 1777, p. 499: Exorcismus contra imminentm stormatem fulgurum and grandinis.

4 Mark. xvi, 17: Signaautem eos qui crediderint hæc sequencer: In nomine meo dæmonia ejicient,

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= DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE REMEDIES 235 the sign of the cross, as attests Origen!, Tertullian*, Saint Cyprien? and other ancient Fathers. However, the Church, which concentrates in her hands the virtue and exercise of divine institutions, without linking the power of faith and holiness, soon made this power over demons a dependence on the priesthood and one of the gradations of the sacrament of order.

We do not speak of the Orientals, who in the early centuries also had exorcists, but who, for twelve hundred years, have no longer been in their hierarchy of decolytes, exorcists or porters.

In the West, at least in the middle of the century, we see the special order of exorcists appear as a regular and constant institution, as attested by the letter of Pope Saint Cornelius (251) to St Fabien d'Antioch, reported by historian Eusebius. *

The fourth council of Carthage f, held in 398, already contains and imposes the formulas still in use in the Latin Church for the ordination of clerics, and expressly prescribes that of the exorcist by the tradition of the book of exorcisms.

The first exorcists whose ecclesiastical annals mention by name, are perhaps Saint Felix de Nole, of whom Saint Paulin? immortalized the tomb and memory, and Saint Peter, martyred in 302 with the priest

1 Contra Celsum, 1.7, n. 4, Migne, t. 41, col. 1496.

2 Apolog. €. 23, p. 24, ed. Rigault.

3 Lib. ad Demetrianum, p. 441, ed. Ceillau.

4 Benoit XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific., 1. 4, P. 4, ©. 29, n. 6.

5 Hist. eccles., 1. 6, c. 43, Migne, t. 20, Col 622.

6 LABBE, Conc. Carth. 1v, ©. 7 t. Two, collar. 1200: Exorcista, cum ordinatur, accipiate de manu Episcopi libellum in quo scripti sunt, dicente sibi episcopo: Accipe et commonda memoriæ et habeto potostatem imponendi manus super energumenum sive baptizatum sive catechumenum.

7 Poem. xv, Migne, col. 470.

8 BB. 2 Jun., t. 21, p. 166.

. A few years from there we see Martin +, who will one day be the thaumaturg of Gauls and the glory of the episcopate, promoted by Saint Hilaire, bishop of Poitiers, to the exorcist functions.

For a long time this ministry, although always maintained as a separate order in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, has been exercised, in reality, only by priests; and again, when exorcisms must be solemn and public, is it for the bishop to designate the priest who is most able to perform these perilous functions; for, for private adjurations, they have never been forbidden to anyone in the Church, especially to ministers of religion? and to directors of conscience.

XIV. — In private exorcisms, no special form is prescribed. The divine Eucharist given to patients, the application of the crucifix, holy relics or holy objects, the sign of the cross drawn with the hand above the head or marked on the forehead, on the chest or on any other part of the body; pious litany, the invocation of the names of Jesus and Mary and the adjudration by these powerful symbols and names; and the use of ritual formulas: these are the means to be used to contain and remove evil spirits.

The ritual formulas are in large numbers. Among the collections that have been made of them, we will mention those of D. Martene in his masterbook on Antigues

1 SÉVÈRE SULPICE, by Vita B. Martini, c. 5, Migne, t. 20, col. 163.

2 S. LIGUORI, Theol. moral. 1. 3, very. 2, c. 1, dub. 7. Appendix, of Adjudication, n; 4, t. 2, p. 56: Privatim omnibus quidem lictum is adjurare; solemniter autem tantum Ecclesiae ministeris ad id constitutis; and cum episcopi expressa licentia.

8 Voss, Direct, Myst. comp. SCARANELLD P. 9, 1. 4, c. 1, a. 9, S 4, p. 195: Alloquatur ergo director dæmonem hoc aut æquali modo: Ego, ut minister Dei, præcipio tibi per SS. nomen Jesu, per merita vitae et mortis ejus; ut rcedas ab hac creatura Dei.

The three of Jérôme Mengo, religious

ciscain: the Flea of demons, the Remedies very effective against the evil spirits, the Båton of demons?; the Practice or the Manual of Exorcists, by Valère Polidore*; the Antidote against demons*, by Fr. Alessio Porri, a Carmelite religious; the Leak of Satan, by Pierre-Antoine Stampa Several of these manuals and a few others were assembled under the title of Malefic Hammer®. The Parisian liturgy had in its Ritual special formulas of exorcism.

Except for the churches which enjoy the privilege of a proper liturgy, it is the Roman Ritual which, in the West, serves as a guide in the public adjudication of demons. However, it is not forbidden to use formulas drawn from other sources, mainly from Scripture, or which piety would suggest: the very warnings of the Roman Rituals leave this latitude to the exorcist.

We do not have to reproduce the various formulas here; we simply need to draw attention to the method and spirit in which they are usually written. They form a mixture and as a kind of contrast of ardent prayers towards God and compelling questioning of demons: an alternative full of solemnity in which the exorcist, turn to

1 De Antiquis eccl. ritibus, t. 3, 1. 3, ©. 9, p. 497 et seq. Reims, 1702.

2 Flagellum dæmonum... Remediaque probatissima ac doctrinam singularem in malignos spiritus excellendos... Accessit postremo pars secunda quaæ Fusris DÆMONUM incribitur. — Two in-8° of 309 pages each, 3° ed., 1727,

3 Practica exorcistarum, Padua, 1582.

4 Antidotario contro li demonii, Venice, 1601.

5 Fuga Satanæ, Lyon, 1610,

6 Malleus maleficus.

7 De Exorcizandis obsess.: Exorcismos vero faciat ac legat cum imperio et auctoritate, magna fide atque fervore; and cum viderit spiritum valde torceri, tunc magis instet et urgeat... Dum exorcizat, utatur sacræ scriptureæ verbis potius quam aut alienis.

The tower revives and exercises its power, ascends to the humble and begging sky, and then commands with more empire to the princes of hell. What adds to the grandiose of this ceremony is that all the means used against demons are gathered and condensed: the holy water, the sign of the cross, the laying on of hands, the holy relics, the adorable Eucharist.

Another character of these adjurations, which gives exorcists the conduct to be held towards demons, is that they are always made in a form imperative, objuratory, contemptuous!.

It is important to note that the notion of exorcism is there as a whole; it is the exercise of a power divinely granted to the Church over the revolted angels, to be able to be completely independent of such or such formula. As soon as one proceeds against them in the name of the Church, it is in the name of God and Jesus Christ that one proceeds, and by the same token these injunctions take a supernatural strength and virtue.

XV. — Theologians quite commonly admit that exorcisms operate in the manner of the sacraments, ex

1 S. THOMAS, Sum. 2.9, q. 90, a. 2: Duplex is adjurandi modus: unus quidem per modum deprecationis vel indactitis ob reverentiam alicujus sacri; alius autem per modum compulsionis. First non-licet item dæmones adjurare, quia ille modus adjurandi emptytur ad quamdam benevolentiam vel amicitiam pertinere qua non liket ad daemones uti. Secundo autem adjutureis modo which is per compulsionem, licate nobis ad aliquid uti, and ad aliquid non licatet. Dæmones enim in cursu hujus vitae nobis adversarii constituuntur... Possumus ergo daemones, adjurando per virtutem divini nominis, tanquam inimicos repeller ne nobis noceant spiritualiter vel corporaliter, secundum potostatem divinam datam a Christo.

2 Scuram, Theol. myst., § 223, schol. t. 2, p. 391: Theologist communius docent performem ejiciendi dæmones in exorcismis esse non solum ex operate operatis, sed ex operate operato: quod illi a potiori assumee debent, qui volunt ordinem exorcitatus cum reliquis ordinibus minoribus esse verum sacramentum.

S. ALPH. DE Licuori, Theol, mor., 1. Three leaflets. 2, Adjudication App., f. 2, p. 58: Communicate autem dicunt doctores exorcismos habere vim infallibilem excellendi daemones tanquam ex operato.

opere operato, according to the term consecrated by the School: it is the proper of the permanent divine institutions to produce their effect as soon as the conditions on which they depend are fulfilled.

However, this assertion is not without difficulty; for if exorcism acts ex operato, should it not be enough to pose it once? Why do we have to multiply the formulas, repeat them for long hours and even whole days? How can we explain above all that, in more than one encounter, deliverance does not take place and that ritual Summons remain unsuccessful?

Also serious authors, among others Thyreus! and Scaramelli °, do not recognize to exorcisms an intrinsic efficiency, without however challenging to them a kind of sacramental virtue, when they are made by a minister of order and mission.

XVI. — In any case, the power to cast out demons being a divine concession, it may be argued that his virtue is not entirely due to the holiness of the minister, nor is the sacramental power or graces given for free. On the day of judgment, a great many, multi, will appear, -— Jesus Christ himself declares *, — saying: "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name; in your

1 De Dæmoniacis, P. 3, ©. 47, n. 6 p. 172: Exorcismorum non ea ratio est, quae sacramentorum. Consequuntur haec suos performed necessario; propterea quod, ex divina institutione, certa et efficacia sint signa gratiæ colestis; at han promissionem exorcismis non fecit Dominus; quo ut non semper, quantas sacramenta, vires habeant, dæmonesque pellant.

2 Voss, Direct. Myst. Compend. Scaramelli, P. 2, l. 1, C. 1, to. 1, §14, p. 204: Deest ratio necessaria, utilitas scilicet animæ, ut exorcismi, which does not produce ex operato, effective.

‘3 Pipe, ibid.. 89, n.12, p. 124: Scio magnum and prorsus divinum esse opus dæmonum ejectionem; sed divinum quoque est opus donum linguarum; divinium, donum sanitatum; divinium, donum prophetiae. An vero omnes a peccati laqueis absolvemus, quibus haec divinitus dona collata sunt?

4 Matth. vir, 22 and 23.

Have we not cast out demons?" And the Sovereign Judge will answer them: "I never know you; depart from me, workers of iniquity." When demons give in to the injunctions of sinners, it is not men or sinners that they obey, but God, who invests them with his power.

XVII. — One thing worthy of note is that the empire over demons is the exclusive privilege of the Catholic Church. Should we be surprised? Did not our Lord make this prerogative the mark of true faith when he said: "He that believeth and be baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be condemned; and these are the signs that shall accompany them that believe: they shall cast out demons in my name, and speak new tongues? etc." Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and do not profess the pure doctrine of the Church cannot bear these distinctive characters.

The book of Acres è contains a memorable fact about this. Some Jewish exorcists, the son of Sceva, prince of priests, seeing St.Paul cast out demons by the invocation of Jesus' name alone, tried to do the same on a demoniac with this formula: "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." But the evil spirit answered them: "I know Jesus, and I know who Paul is; but who are you?" And the man in whom the evil spirit was fell upon them and mistraped them so hard that they

1 Tayreus, ibid. n. 15 and 16, p. 125: Quemadmodum iniquus judex non amittit potostatem judicandi, ita iniqui exorcistæ non facultatem daemones progligandi. Sunt subjecti daemonibus, qua peccatores; sunt daemonibus superiores, qua divina virtute sunt instructi. Non privata est, nec mortalihus congenita est dæmones ejiciendi potestas; divina est, Dei beneficio collata est.

2 Mark. xyi, 17.

3 Act, Xxix, 15-16.

The clothes were torn apart, and they were riddled with wounds.

Saint Epiphane! reports another fact, which seems to overturn the precedent and contradict our assertion in favour of the Catholic Church. He speaks of a Jew of Tiberias, named Josephus, whom he had personally known, who delivered an energized energist by making on him the sign of the cross with this adjugation: "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, come out of this man, a demon, and be safe from now on." But we must not omit what Saint Epiphanus relates to this fact: it is that this Jew was pursued by the grace of Jesus Christ and that, in order to triumph over his obstinacy, God operated through him and in his presence wonders that finally led to his conversion.

Never, at least, will God allow a heretic to command the demons and drive them out of the bodies they possess, in circumstances where these wonders could become a recommendation of error?.

In fact, there are no examples of deliverance by heretics °, and on the contrary, there are attempts made by them which have only led to ridiculous {. Or, among many others, the following trait told by an eyewitness and almost by an actor, Frédéric

1 Adversus heres., tr. 30, Migne, t. 41, col. 429: Amentem illum cruce consignatum aspergens: In nomine, inquite, Jesu Nazareni crucifixi, exi, dæmon, ab hoc homine, isque sanus esto. Ad hec ille vociferans et humi procumbens, atque ex ore spumas agens seseque dilanians diu permansit immobilis, ut mortuum jam esse Josephus crederet, donec interjecto horæ spatio vultum perfricans surrexit... sibi restitutus, animosque compositus,

2 Tavre, from Dæmoniac., ©. 40, n. 3 p. 126: Nunquam ab hominum corporibus shovel dæmones hæretici, quandoque and quotiescunque hoc tentabunt ut doctrinam quam profiteur confirm.

3 Tayrea, ibid., ©. 40, n. 5, p. 126: Alterum est (argumentum), quod eos nunquam dæmonia expulisse legamus.

4 Tavree, ibid. n. 6: Tertium est, quod sæpe in dæmonum ejectione ipsos illusos fuisse certis historiiis doceatur. Pro multis dues rerimus.

!, then young teacher and engaged in the mistakes of the Reformation. In the year 1545, Luther was taken from the Misnie to Wittem-

berg, a demonic young girl, in the hope that this third Elijah would deliver her from her evil demon. Luther was very hard to undertake such an important wonder for his Gospel; but at last he ordered that she be brought to the sacristy of the parish church in Wittemberg, and there, in the presence of several doctors and people of letters, — of which I was, Staphyle added, — he began to adjure the demon and to exorcise, but in his own way, and not after the rites used in Catholics. As he was adjuring, the devil did not go away; he even hunted so furiously the new exorcist, that he rushed to the door to go out. But this demon devil had closed it so well that, either from within or from outside, it was impossible to open it. Luther's trances became only more beautiful, so much so that he tried, but in vain, to escape through a window unwittingly filled with bars. He was forced to wait with all the others for the sacristan to pass through an axe with which the very one from whom we hold this account cut down the door. While waiting for his deliverance Luther did not stand in place and looked all the way, says the narrator, of a sheep eager to lamb.

1 Tuyreus of Dæmon., ibid.: Primam Staphilus in absoluta responsee contra Jacobum Schemidelinum his verbis enumeratet, p. 404: "Possum ego, inquite, redigere mihi in memoriam, anno 1545, dæmoniacam quamdam puellam, e Misniæ diitione adductam Wittembergam ad Lutherum, ea spe quod Lutherus, ceu tertius Elias, puellam istam a malo dæmonio liberaturus esset... coram aliis plerisk Doctoribus et eruditis viris {inter quos ego, tum quoque magister juvenis, aderam) dæmonem coepit adjurare et exorcizare; sed id tamen more suo, non eo qui apud catholicos receptus et usitatus est. Cum autem ille diu multumque adjurasset dæmonem, cedere ille: noluit, sed eas in angustias, sit venia verbo, Lutheri caligas. redegit, ut is quam primum e sacrario se propirere vellet, etc.

x t EA

XVII. — Although exorcisms derive their virtue from God's institution rather than from man's holiness, the exorcist has precautions to take, the oblivion of which would expose him not only to humiliating unsuccess, but also to terrible miscounts and punishments on Satan's part.

It shall comply with the requirements above and with the deprecatory formulae at all points. These warnings can be found in the Roman Ritual, the main provisions and recommendations of which are summarized below.

It is necessary to set aside the perilous exercise of exorcisms through fasting and prayer; for he is demons, — it is the Saviour who affirms it to his apostles t, — who give way only to fasting and prayer; hence he can conclude.

‘that the most rebellious do not resist this double means.

Caution also recommends purifying one's conscience by a humble and sincere confession, before entering into a game with Satan? No doubt, the effectiveness of these functions, as we have already said, is, absolutely speaking, independent of the minister's virtue; however, the minister's indignity may be detrimental to the effectiveness of the functions. In any case, while yielding to the divine authority of which the sinful exorcist is clothed, the demon could, before moving away, cover him with confusion by revealing the defilements and. the secret turpitudes of his life.

The witnesses of these adjurations run the same peril and are more exposed to it than the exorcist himself, being not protected as he is by the authority of his office. These disturbing and humiliating revelations are not rare in

1 Mark. 1x, 28: Hoc, genus in nullo potest, exire nisi in oratione and jejunio. 3

2 J. Menco, Flagellum, dæm., €- 1, p. 2: Addenda est puritas- conscienceiæ, mediante dolorosa contritione. suorum peccatorum, et pura confessione sacramentali; quia etsi sacerdos, potestate sacerdotali, oret in persona Ecclesiae, tamen ejus: oratio. est efficacior quando. ex parte: ejus: est munda.,

the scenes of exorcism. The facts are everywhere; it is superfluous to discuss detail and produce quotations.

Let us note, however, that the sins confessed and handed over escape the censorship of demons. In addition to a meeting, sinners, from the very first time they appeared to the mockeries of the evil spirit, having withdrawn and confessed, were no longer recognized when they returned. Consoling perspective for defiled souls who resort to the salutary remedy of confession.

The ordinary place of public exorcisms is a church or chapel, unless, by consideration for the possessed person or his family, or for any other sufficient reason, it is considered appropriate to make them in a particular house.

Wherever he does this important act, the exorcist must not remain alone with the energy, but be assisted by serious, pious witnesses, some of whom are robust enough to control the patient in his violence. If it is to exorcise a woman, it is more appropriate to put her in the hands of people of her sex who are able to contain her, in order to avoid and prevent any inconvenience and immorality. In the course of exorcisms, the priests in charge of this ministry will be attentive to refraining, vis-à-vis women, from what would hurt or seem to shock decency, and to thwart the tricks by which the evil spirit would attempt to arouse dangerous impressions in them or in others.

1 Jérôme Menco, Flagell. dæmon., ©. 12 p. 33: Nonnunquam etiam, cum mulier quae exorcizatur fuerit maxime juvencula, fingit se ægre ferre quod sacerdos tangat vultum ejus, ad hoc ut vehementius tangat, and inde mulieri fingerat voluptuosa phantasmata; and eadem ratione fingit se ægre ferre quod sacerdos loquendo nimis approximate ori, ut multum vultui magis approximate. And ideo sit priestdos and oculis, and manibus, and omnibus motibus pudicus and cautus, non solum propter se, verum etiam and propter obsessam, and tanto magis quantum minus cognoscit ejus cogitatus.

XIX. — After the proper preparation and preparation, we must come to the act of exorcisms by conforming, as we have said, to the order laid down by the Ritual.

We must begin with the prayers that open this ceremony; then we ask questions.

The exorcist must be the only one to question the demon; the assistants will be in small numbers and will have to stand silent, worthy, collected and begging before God, speak or answer only with the assent of the presiding one, and above all avoid laughing and applaudiating the projections of the demons possessors +.

First of all, these spirits must be forced to declare themselves. We assume that before we began the exorcisms, we made sure, with the help of the signs we have assigned above, of the reality of possession. But it may happen that when the minister of the Church proceeds against them, the demons conceal their presence, leaving the patient a certain freedom that makes him believe in deliverance, or suddenly throwing him into deep lethargy, infringing a purely natural infirmity. To thwart all these fireworks, they will be asked, by the authority of which we are clothed, to denounce and answer?.

The questions to be addressed will concern the number and names of the possessor spirits, the time and motives for their invasion ê, the existence of charms that would have given

1 ROMAIN RITUAL, from Exorcizand. obsessive: Cæteras autem dæmonis nugas, risus et ineptias exorcista cohibeat, aut contomnat; and circumstantantes, qui pauci esse debent, admoneat ne haec curent, ne ne ipsi interrogate obsessum, sed potius humiliter et enixe Deum pro eo precentur.

2 Ibid.: Aliquando, postquam sunt manifesti, abscondunt se, and relinquunt corpus quasi liberum ab omni molestia, ut infirmus whoret se omnino esse liberatum; sed cessare non debet exorcista, donec viderrit signa liberationis... Vel conantur persuasive infirmitatem esse naturalem; interdum in medio exorcismi faciunt sleepe infirmum, and ei visionem aliquam ostensibly,

subtrahendo se ut infirmus liberatus vieatur. 3 Ibid.: Necessariæ vero interrogatories sunt, ut de numero and no-

266 2° FRAME: DIABOLIC PARODIES take place at the possession and maintain it, in order to discover and destroy them!.

We will avoid verbiage, jokes, laughter, idle questions or pure curiosity, and when the evil mind questions, makes biteful answers, causes digressions, excites to laugh, we must impose silence with authority and dignity?.

In the course of adjudication, when one sees the demon redouble with rage, one can call him and force him to say where his anxieties come from. The patient will also be questioned if he is in a position to respond.

Finally, the evil spirit of declaring when he comes out, and to what sign will be recognized his escape, threatening him, if he persists in silence or resist, to add to his shame and torture.

The way to increase the torment of demons is to repeat the adjugations that seem to be more irritating them, to repeat the anathemas and contempts, to force them to bow, to prostrate themselves in the presence of the divine Eucharist, before the crucifix or the holy relics, to multiply, with a great sense of faith, the signs of the cross and the sprinkling of holy water, to call upon the adorable Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, the sacred names of Jesus and Mary, to declare that by virtue of the power of which one is clothed, one has the express will to increase the punishment in proportion resistance and delay è. But we should not

mineral spirituum obsidentium, tempore quo ingressi sunt, causa, and aliis hujusmodi.

1 RirueL R.: Jubeatque dæmonem diere an detineatur in illo corpore ob aliquam operam magicam, aut. malefica signa vel instrumenta, queæ si obsessus ore sumpserit, evomat; vel si alibi extra corpus fuerint, ea revelet; and inventa comburantur.

2 Ibid.: Exorcista ne vagetur in multiloquio, aut supervacaneis vel curiosis interrogatibus, præsertim de rebus futuris et occultis, ad suum munus non pertinentibus; sed jubeat immuntum spiritum tacere, and ad interrogatata, tantum respondere.

- 3 Scnram, Theol. Myst., $225, t. 1, p. 397: Exorcista daemones pos-

not impose punishments that are not the responsibility of the exorcist, such as adding to the eternal punishment of hell. to relegate to an earthly or other place, to the bottom of the sea, for example, in the center of the earth, on the top of a mountain, in the moon, in hell t. The example of the angel Raphael, who takes the unclean Asmodiaeus in the desert of Upper Egypt, and other injunctions of this nature made by some saints to the demons whom they cast out from the bodies of the possessed, cannot be used; these facts find their explanation, not in the regular powers of exorcist, but in particular and supernaturally manifested wills of Providence.

Nor will the exorcist propose or accept concessions that engage the spirits to go out, as it would be to raise storms, to make hail, to enter the bodies of animals, let alone that of another man. Everything will be confined to expelling the possessor spirit, whose fate he will abandon to divine righteousness.

In any case, if he grants them anything, that

dentes novis cruciatibus ad pænam damnationis: afficere nequit; quia, cum sint in termino, ad increaseum novae pœnæ essentialis nihil amplius demereri posunt. Potest vero novis pænis accidentalibus eos per exorcismos terribiliter torquere „ tum quia superbus his spiritus ægerrime ministero Dei subjicitur, tum quia acerbissime increpatur, contenitur et in nomine Jesu conculcatur, etc. In ipsis exorcismis ita urgendo: Quia quanto tardius exis, tanto magis tibi suppricum crescit.

1 Scmram, ibid., p. 396: Exorcista non potest adjurare dæmonem ut ejectus ad hune vel illum locum vadat ubi minus nocere posit, quia de hae potestate exorcistæ neque ex Evangelio, neque ex ordinatione ejus, neque ex Rituali aliquid obscurité; ad summum, Deum pro hoc orare potest, liket melias providentiæ divinæ relinquat. Example S. Raphaelis archangeli relegantis dæmonium in deserto superioris Ægypti, Tob. viiir, 3, and nonnullorum sanctorum in sequelam ab omnibus betrayed necessit... Nec illud probatur quod daemoni offererenti egressum ex homine, ingessus in alium permittatur... Exorcista dæmonem per adjutureem in infernum detrudere nequite, nec lilet ei annuee petenti.

never be anything contrary to the glory of God and the utility of men +.

That he should also guard against employing a superior demon to overcome a subordinate demon. A similar practice would be an inconsequence or a fault: an inconsequence, if a stronger demon is forced by adjugation to dismiss a weaker demon, since the adjudration that reduces the first, would reduce the second to a greater extent; a fault, if prayer is used, because soliciting demons for any service, is a grave sin of its nature. Moreover, if the spirit to which one asks to intervene to chase another is alien to possession, exorcism has no hold on him; that, if he is himself possessor, the sacramental formulas have no less action on others than on himself?.

Once the exorcisms begin, they will continue, if necessary, several hours in a row, until the complete deliverance; and if it cannot be obtained for the first time, the following days will be repeated, as long as the ecclesiastical superiors judge it appropriate.

XX. — With regard to the final exit, let the exorcist not think too easily. The demon sometimes announces that he withdraws, and indeed leaves the patient in rest; but it is only a feign to obtain the suspension of exorcisms. Other times, he threatens to kill the person he tyrants, to leave him with some infirmity, to tear up,

1 Tuyreus, of Dæmon., P. €4. 58, n. 3, 44, p. 205: Res, not fallimur, sic is dressed: Ut si iniquum non sit, quod petunt, petitioni posit proprii satis; sin sécus, non posit... Quamvis in quibusdam, ut dictum est, possimus ipsorum desiderio satisfacere, in nullo tamen facere tenemur; licet etiam quae ex re hominum sunt, petant.

2 ScurAM, Theol. myst., § 295, t. 1, p. 395: And quidem non liket adjurare dæmonem superiorem ut alios inferiores excellat; nam si dæmon sit extra corpus possessi, per se loquendo, exorcismorum potestas ad eum se non extensit; si sit intra possessum, exorcismus sine ejus opera satis efficax est ut et superiorem et inferiores dæmones excellat.

_ DEPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: THE REMEDIES 269 to get out, such part of the body. The exorcist will instruct him to leave without harm. He may even impose on him, in the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, a sign of his escape, anything other than that which he proposes; for example, as the Father did. Surin for the possessed of Leuven, to write on the hands, forehead or chest the letters or initials of the blessed names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph; but in this it is necessary a lot of discretion.

It is difficult to formulate something specific about the certainty of deliverance. ‘ However, the following two cases can be brought back: those in which the demon's removal is concluded by the cessation of the violence which denoted his presence, and those in which he leaves a sensitive testimony of his escape.

Often there was no other evidence of deliverance than the patient's calm and freedom? that the malignant mind tormented, or the disappearance of an infirmity or deformity caused by his presence. But these negative marks are not decisive; the counter-test would result in a direct interpellation that would remain unfulfilled.

The positive signs, when they exist, are of two kinds: or imposed by the exorcist, or of the choice of possessor spirits. The former recognize themselves without difficulty; it is enough to say that they must have nothing but dignity and propriety. The latter consist of external manifestations in keeping with the character of the demons and by which they give one last satisfaction of anger: they are fierce shouts or roarings, a noise

1 See Auessio Porri, Antidotario, dub. 31 p. 219: Da che segno pu6 conoscere l ́essorcista lo spirito essersi partito dal corpo ch的 egli possessea.

2 Tuyre, of Dæmoniac. P. 4, ©. 52, n. 22, p. 194: Hinc is ut multoties ejectos legamus spiritus, de quibus, quod ex humanis cormoribus discesse= rint, nullis in egressu datis signis constare potuit.

3 Tuyreus, ibid., n. 40, p. 491: Quartum signum is deformitatis per diabolum allatæ cessatio.

sudden like thunder, the extinction of candles, the breakage of windows, infective smells, the vomiting of filthy materials, bizarre mixtures, animalcles or insects that inspire horror; most often, it is a last resort of extreme violence that seems to have to break the patient, and throws him down lying like dead +.

As soon as deliverance is well established, the exorcist sends a final prayer to God that he forbid the evil spirit from ever entering into the body that he was forced to abandon °; and then he can recite or sing with the pious witnesses who assisted him in this victorious battle the Te Deum, the Magnificat, any other song, hymn, psalm or prayer, which is the expression of the action of graces.

Finally, he exhorts the delivered person to bless the divine mercy that has just burst in his person, and to preserve himself with the utmost care of all sin, so as not to give rise to the return of the evil spirit.

XXI. — All that we have just said concerns possession. In the case of obsession, the course to be followed presents particularities, which we must say a few words in finishing this long chapter.

The main and indispensable help that is needed for souls assailed by the evil spirit is a sweet, strong and pru-

1 Tuvree, from Dæmon. ibid., n. 8-18: Primum sit, ipsorum spirituum confessio... Secundum, animalculorum quorumdam ab obsessive discessus... Tertium sit, ingent clamores, vociferations atque belluarum voces... Quartum signum estdeformitatis per diabolum allatæ cessatio... Quintum, vomitus, cum quo spiritus egressi leguntur haud raro... Sextum signum sit foetor gravitated... Septimum indicium discessus spirituum immundorum est insolitus tumor in obsessorum corpore, maxime illa parte qua egredi volunt... Octavum argumentum is membrorum disruptio and vehemens cruciatus... Nonum sigoum is dbsessorum in terram dejectio et allisio.

- Two ROMAIN RITUEL, from Exorcizandis obsess. Oratio post liberationem.

3 Id., ibid. Monita ad fin.: If vero obsessus liberatus fuerit, moneatur ut diligenter sibi caveat a speccatis, ne occasionem dæmoni præbeat in ipsum revertendi, ne fiant novissima hominis illius pejora prioribus.

~ direction. The priest to whom these souls will be addressed

They will be urged to humility, trust in God, patience, prayer. As long as the will refuses its assent and remains united with God, no matter how painful and perilous the obsession is, it is not the evil of sin, the only evil, at the bottom, that is to be feared. Undoubtedly, in order to maintain oneself, the will needs grace, and a powerful grace; but we must believe it under pain of losing hope, God always grants his grace to whom demand it, and does not allow us to be tempted above our strength.

If the obsession is the effect of a malice or magic charm, we will try to remove this cause by all lawful means; but discretion and prudence are necessary here.

When obsession is the punishment of sin, the patient must hasten with sincere penance the hour of deliverance and accept, in the meantime, this cruel atonement.

Often these Satan's eruptions are a trial; it is then above all that it must be borne with courage and confidence: God allows these attacks only for the greatest perfection of souls and for the confusion of the tempter.

However, there is a need to distinguish between the various obsessive genres.

If these are inner temptations, spectators, visions, even abuse which only impose the evil of suffering, the direction is relatively easy t; prayer, patience and above all a filial abandonment to the will of God are the ordinary means against these kinds of vexations.

But when the evil action threatens the treasure of the power,

4S. Jaçort, Praxis confess., n. 140, p. 149: Aliqui obsessi a malis spiritibus vexantur spectris horribilibus aut corporalibus cruciatibus. Horum fabilis is cura; insinuetur eis oratio, patientia, and super omnia divinæ voluntati uniformitas.

When these assaults lead to turpitudes, in any way and in any form that they occur, it is not enough to pray and groan, we must exhaust all the resources that the faith and divine institutions can provide to suppress this abhorrent violence of the filthy spirit.

The first precaution to take is to inspire these poor souls the greatest horror of sin and to make sure that they do not consent inwardly! to the impressions that they suffer and that desolate them.

The remedies and procedures that we have indicated against possession are then used; for most of them are equally effective against obsession. Fasting and prayer, sacraments of penance and Eucharist, the sign of the cross, holy water, holy relics, consecrated things, are all ways of repelling demonic eruptions in whatever form they occur. There is only difficulty and controversy in the use of exorcisms. Some, like Godinez?, restrict their virtue to the cases of possession; according to others, among them St. Liguori °, and before him, Thyreus 4, of which

1 S, LIGUORI, Praxis confess., n.412, p.152: If that unquam happens infestatus ab hoste hujusmodi genere temptisis (dictæ spiritus fornicationis, a quo S. Ecclesia nobis præcipue injungit petere a Domino ut ab eo nos liberet), debet confessarius multum satagere ad præmuniendum pænitentem in tam horrendo conflictu; nam ai Card. Petruccius has animas in magno periculo versari si remedia non-adhibant multum efficacia, and aliquaando, si oportet, etiam extraordinaria, etc.

2 Theol. myst. practice, 1. 3, ©. 11, p. 129: Contra los possessos, institutionò la Iglesia los exorcismos; los quales non valen contra los demonios obsidentes, porque con ollos se irritan y atormentan las personas obssas.

3 Praxis confess., n. 113, p. 154: In his casibus, ante omnia confessarius adversus dæmonem præmittat exorcismum, saltem prictatum, which certe lictus is special modo, etc.

4 Of locis infestis, P. 3, ©. 65, n. 9, p. 211: Illis usessimus is exorcismus, in quo cum spiritibus in certamen descenditur.

DESPOTIC IRRUPTIONS: REMARKS 273 the authority is unmatched in these matters, it can also be used against obsessions. Especially in the life of Saint John of the Cross, ' it is said that this saint used effectively this remedy against a demon who was stubbornly tormenting a fervent religious in the monastery of Avila. Other, no less serious authors, such as Scaramelli?, while recognizing that these ritual adjurations do not usually have as complete an effect on obsessed persons as on energists, nevertheless advise the practice in either case.

We would not be blaming the secret and private use of the Church's formulas on people or things affected by Satan's invasions, and it is up to the ecclesiastical authority to decide whether it is appropriate, in these encounters, to resort to solemn exorcisms.

1 Summary of the life of the B. P. Saint John of the Cross, by Fr. Jérôme de Saint-Joseph, ch. 9, p. 98.

2 Compend. direct. myst., by Voss, l. 4, P. €2. 4, p. 204: Exorcismi ab Ecclesia ad energumenorum liberationem institui non juvant ad penitus ab obsessure liberandas animas... Quamquam ad omnino. liberandam animam non-supflicant, attam sæpe adhibendi sunt, ut dæmon repellatur,

Chapter XII

Voluntary Commerce with the Demon, or Magic — Notion and Existence

Concept of magic. — Its origin. — White magic and black magic. — There is no white magic in the miraculous sense. — Imposture and imagination explain much of the phenomena attributed to magic. — Reality of this trade between man and the devil according to Scripture and the Councils. — Acts of the Pontiffs, especially John XXII and Innocent VIII. — Constance of Christian tradition on this point. — Universally widespread beliefs and practice among all peoples. — Penalties enacted by all ancient laws against the You're a bad guy.

I. — The man who is wrestling in his body with demons, but by the authority of the Church ruling their fury, and by his will remaining the master of his soul, offers a spectacle worthy of mercy, if one wishes, but more worthy of admiration.

There is another spectacle that has nothing but hideous, that of the free man, who is able to deal with the rebellious angel, willingly accepting his despotism, abandoning his soul at the price of often illusory satisfactions, ephemeral successes, and filthy enjoyments.

Concept and existence fes

Tract and horrible trade, which constitute magic, this infernal art that we now have to describe.

May Jesus and Mary, whose names alone are the terror of hell, protect us from their sweet and luminous eyes through the cursed region of darkness.

The word of magic is obviously derived from that of Mage. Zoroaster, the great revelation of magism, passed, according to Pliny! and St Augustine?, for the inventor of demonic practices, from where would have come the name of magic, and to those who exercise them, that of magi. The Persians, and in general the Orientals, thus qualified the scholars, custodians of sacred science, and the priests, mediators of office between divinity and men, between the visible and invisible worlds.

All the ancient peoples admitted good and bad geniuses, and thought that man could come into contact with one another. Magic was the ordinary way to connect with these invisible powers, and those who served as intermediaries were precisely called magicians.

II. — For us Christians, the good and evil geniuses are the faithful angels and fallen angels whose revelation tells us of our existence, but for the people who were idolatry, they were their false gods, who were at the bottom only demons, and magic became the main form of their worship.

"The origin of this sad art, said with reason the learned author è of the Theological Dictionary inserted in the Encyclopedia, is the same as that of polytheism; it is one of them.

1 Natur. histor., 1. 30, ©. 1, p. 538: Sine dubio illic orta in Perside a Zoroaster, ut inter auctores agree.

2 From Civit. Dei, l. A, €. 14, p. 488: Magicarum artium leaks perhibetur inventor.

3 Bercer, Dict. theol., at the word MaGiCIEX.

L š nas;

inevitable consequence; several authors have shown...

Among the pagans, whose imagination was struck by a multitude of spirits, geniuses, demons, or gods spread throughout nature, who animated all the parties and governed them, they were attributed the most ordinary phenomena, goods and evils, thunderstorms, sterility of the countryside, diseases and healings; and more importantly, they were to be attributed the erorial authors of all that seemed extraordinary, wonderful and supernatural: nothing was done without them; the most important knowledge was therefore how to obtain their benevolence, soothing them when they were angry, obtaining benefits and forcing them, in some way, to condescend to the wills of their worshipers.

"Any man who seemed to have this knowledge, the talent to do evil or heal it, to guess the hidden things, to predict some event, to deceive his eyes with tricks of flexibility, etc., was to have a spirit or spirits always ready to carry out his wills. So the name of a Magi or magician had nothing derogatory in its origin; those who used magic to do good to men were esteemed and honored; but those who used it to do evil were rightly hated and proscribed. The art of the former was simply called magic; the practices of the latter were called goetia, black or evil magic.

"This was the opinion, not only of the ignorant, but of the most famous philosophers; all maintained that the stars, the elements, the animals were driven by geniuses or demons, that these so-called intelligences had all the events; on this prejudice was founded the worship that was given to them, and this cult was approved by all the

Sects of philosophy... So he was a constant in

the paganism that a man could trade with

the geniuses or demons whom one loved as gods, to obtain from them superior knowledge, to operate through them prodigious and supernatural things. The philosophers were convinced of this as the people."

II. — By keeping to these origins of magic, everything is abominable and unlawful, since it is reduced to the idolatrous worship of demons, enemies of God and men. However, the distinction continued for a long time through the ages of salutary magic and evil magic.

The neo-Platonic or alexandrians, declared supporters of superstitious evocations, carefully distinguished these two kinds of magic. The first, which they called THEURGIE! where divine work, according to these philosophers, produced benevolent spirits; the second came from the wicked geniuses, and they had, for this, called it GOETIA °, a Greek word synonymous with pain.

The scholastics, by retaining division, substituted the word goetie for the expressive qualifier of black magic, and, as opposed to this kind of magic, they called its opposite white magic?.

Today, the word white magic has taken on a completely different meaning, and is said to be the wonderful purely natural accomplished by means of processes that escape the vulgar.

IV. — It is not our intention to expose the recreational art of the prestidigitators. As for the truly miraculous white magic, by virtue of which man

1 Oeovpyta, of Gedk, God, and Epiov, work.

Two onteia, yodw, moaning.

3 Decrio, Disq. mag., l. 2, q. 2p. 215: Estque pervetus impestura magorum, maxime Platonicorum Jamblici, Porphirii, Plotini, Procli and Juliani apostatæ. Ex quorum tradition, Magia omnis dividitur in albam, quam censent esse licitam, and nigram, quae sit illicita. Albam ergo vacant Aeovp+ yiav, and Nigram, yontsiav.

If he wanted to relate to the divine or angelic world, it must be regarded as a cunning ' familiar to the demons, who conceal their identity, or a free and inconvenient supposition. God and his angels exert upon the human world influences that amaze and surpass nature, and which we have described elsewhere; but it is in no way in man's power to evoke them according to his whims, to stage them, to ask them for these kinds of supernatural interventions: the divine miracle requires more seriousness. So it's not about white magic, it's about the magic of our evil, real magic.

In its common sense, in fact, magic means a trade more or less confessed with the demon, in order to realize through its assistance wonders that exceed the power of man.

These sacrilegious relationships may be just a temporary fact, or they may be a habit; prolonged practice makes the magician and brings the crime to its peak; an act or acts do not reach that heinous character: they are sins, but not a profession of magic.

V. — Before we go further and describe the various conditions and forms of this horrible art, we must ask ourselves whether such an agreement between man and Satan is possible and whether it ever comes true.

Let's recognize it first of all, imposture can play a great role in similar matter, and it is not enough to say magic to be.

Similarly, the man who believes in the devil and his

1 DELRIO, Disg. mag., p. 215: Dico secundo cum catholicis, ut nec per se, sic nec per bonos angelos his magicis operationibus Deum se immiscere magis quam caeteris rebus in quibus concurrit ut causa universalis. Quare censeo haec omnia, ut institua fuere a malis angelis, sic etiam ab illis perfici and adminari, and contrarium is erroneum.

free interference in human things, tries to levate, asks him to fulfill his wishes and comes to persuade himself, through desires, that he really relates to this invisible power, no one, not even the unbeliever of profession, will think of contesting it.

But Satan's response to man's call and his command to one day have his soul is what scares human thought, what strong spirits can hear without laughing, which many believers welcome me only with the precautions of doubt, if not with manifest testimony of unbelief.

Actually, what about it? Is magic just one of the forms of imposture, or an illusion of man hallucinated by his lusts, or is it a sad, but undoubted reality?

In this way, the part of lies and foolishness must be very broad. Most of the so-called so-called sorcerers are only vile charlatans who exploit the credulity of the vulgar. Do you want to know the last word of his destiny, to discover the cause and the specific of a disease, to have the knot of an intrigue and the sons of a conjuration, you only have to address to these confidants of destiny: they know everything, they have answers and remedies to everything; they see in the most secret purpose souls, in the organs the least disturbance, in the nature the intimate properties of beings; in the present, the past, the future, nothing escapes them.

It's too much: the devil himself cannot promise so much without lying.

The power of the imagination is also great, and, restricted in the field of the subject, it is difficult to assign its precise limit, as we will say by dealing with natural analogies that limit to extrahuman facts.

VI. — However, neither imposture nor imagination alone,

: MAGIE and both together are not enough to give reason for the magical phenomena, and to pretend to do so, is clearly to contradict the teaching of Christian theology.

We write for the believers, let us be allowed to recall it once again; let us therefore, first of all, claim the irrefutable testimonies of Scripture.

The wonders which the magicians! of Pharaoh oppose the miracles of Moses and Aaron, the evocation of Samuel by the pythonisse of Endor *?, the warning given by Our Lord that, at the end of time, the false prophets will perform signs capable of inducing in error, if possible, the elect themselves, the capital punishment promulgated in the Mosaic law against the divines + and all those who consult them5, are all attests provided by the Scripture of the reality of the wonders due to the simultaneous intervention of man and the demon acting in concert.

The Catholic Church has ceased to carry anathema against magicians, and, far from questioning their attacks, it expressly affirms the sacrilegious reality. Did she fight for centuries against shadows?

To convince oneself of the attentive perseverance with which the Church fought the magic and all forms of superstition, it is enough to go through the successive monuments of her legislation.

The APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONS, falsely attributed to St Clement of Rome, but which scholars critical

1 Exodus and wine.

3 Matth. xx1v, 24.

4 Levit. xx, 27: Vir sive mulier, in quibus pythonicus vel divinationis fuerit spiritus, dead moriantur. Lapidibus obruent eos; sanguis eorum sit super illos.

5 Levit. xx, 6: Anima quae declinaverit ad magos et ariolos et fornicata fuerit cum eis, ponam faciem meam contra eam, and interficiam illam de medio populi sui.

go back to the early years of the rv° century, and some until the beginning of the in°!, contain prohibitions against magic and divination?.

The Councils do not tire of legislating against these kinds of crimes; among them are those of Elvire?, Laodicea*, Ancyre (1*)5, Carthage (4°)5, Agde, Orléans (1°), Tours*°, the fourth ® and the sixteenth t! of Toledo, the sixth of Paris‘?, Palenza in Castile, the Quinisexte of Constantinople #, the fifth of Lateran.

The Corpus Joris? contains several of these conciliar provisions and others.

VIT. — The sovereign pontiffs, watchful guardians of the purity of doctrine and morals, have openly pronounced themselves, on several occasions according to the necessities of time, against the demonic practices that constitute magic. Without ignoring the deceptions of fraud and the extravagances of imagination, they point to and resent the terrible and overreal sequels of the evil alliance. It is sufficient to be convinced to read the bubbles , by John XXII (1326); HONESTIS PETEN- TIUM voted, by Léon X (1521); Duoum, by Adrien VI (1522);

1 Mansı, In Constit. apost. annotatio, Migne, Patr. gr. t. 1, col. 593 and 524.

2 Apostolate Const., 1, 7, ©- 3, 6, Migne, t. 1, col. 999, 1003.

3 Can. 6, LABBE, Sacros. Cone. (a. 303), t. 1, col. 971,

4 Can. 36, Labbe (a. 264), t, 1, col. 1503.

Can. 24 GABBE (a. 314), t. 1, col. 1463.

6 Can. 89, Lapge (a. 398, t. Two, collar. 1206.

7 Cam. 42, Lapse (a. 506), t. Four, collar. 1890.

8 Can. 30 LABBE (a. 511), t. Four, collar. 1409.

9 Can. 42, Lapne (a. 813),t. 7, Col. 1268.

10 Cap. 28, Lasse (a. 633), t.5, col. 1714.

41 Cap. 7, Lasse (a. 693), t. Six, pass. 1337.

12 L. 3.10. 2, LABBE (a: 829), t. 7, Col. 1658.

18 Cap. 25, LABBE (a. 1322), t, 11, col. 1706.

14 Can. LaBge (a. 692), t. Six, pass. 1169.

15th sess. (a. 1527), t. 14, col. 229.

46: Decr. 21P.,€, 26, q. 2-5.

, of Innocent VII (1484); the Constitution of Sixte V, Heart and TERRÆ (1585), and that of Gregory XV, Omniporenris (1623).

Only two of these documents are mentioned in part; the reader will appreciate how explicit they are.

"We have learned with pain," said Pope John XXII, "and we cannot think of it without being troubled to the bottom of our bowels, that many, Christians only by name, abandoning the truth that had first enlightened them, have come to this degree of obscurity, darkness and error, that they enter into a covenant with death and make a pact with hell. They immolate demons and worship them, they manufacture or cause to be made images, rings, mirrors, vials or any other object to fix demons by a magic virtue; they ask for answers and they obtain them; and, in order to satisfy their perverse desires, they plead for their help, in return offering these shameful services a shameful servitude. O pain! this hideous plague is now taking in new increments in the world, and its ravages are gaining more and more the flock of Christ."

Now let's hear Innocent VII.

"He has come to our knowledge once, and it has penetrated us with immense pain," said the pontiff?, "that in

1 Bull. 4 p. 204: Dolenter advertimus, quod etiam cum nostrorum turbatione viscerum cogitamus, quamplures esse solo nomine christianos, qui, relicto primo veritatis lumina, tanta erroris caligine obnubilantur, quod cum mort foedus ineunt et pactus factuunt cum inferno; daemonibus namque immolant, hos adorant, fabricator ac fabricari provenant imaginées, annulum, vel speculum, vel philam, vel rem quamcumque aliam, magice ad daemones inibi alligandos; ab his etiam petunt responsa, ab his recipiunt, et implendis suis pravis desideriis auxilia postulant, pro re foetidissima fætidam exhibutotutem. Pro dolor! hujusmodi morbus pestifer nunc per mundum solito amplius convalescens, succesive gravius indeficit Christi gregem.

2 Bull. AFFECTIVE SUMMITS, Bullar. t. 4 p. 429: Sane nuper ad nostrum, non sine ingenti molestia, pervenit auditam, quod in nonnullis

A few parts of Upper Germany, in the territory of Mainz, et., several people of one and the other sex, oblivious to their salvation and rebels to the Catholic faith, engage in a filthy trade with demons. Their incantations, their charms, their conjurations and other superstitious practices, their culpable, criminal and monsiruous spells, destroy the newborns, the little ones of the animals, the products of the earth, the clusters of the vines and the fruits of the trees; much more, men and women, herds and animals of all kinds, vineyards, orchards, meadows, pastures, fields and gereets covered with harvests, crops of all kinds, nothing escapes their destructive evils. They prevent the legitimate procreation of children between spouses. They would not hate, driven by the enemy of the human race, to deny by ungodly formulas the faith they received at the holy baptism, to commit at last a multitude of other unheard crimes and unheard of crimes, without fear of the peril of their souls, without respect for the divine Majesty, without regard for the evil example and scandal that result for many."

Partibus Alemaniae superioris, necton in Moguntinen., etc., utriusque compluses sexus personæ, proprieæ salutis immemores et a fide catholica deviantes, cum dæmonibus incubis et succubis abuti, acmistinationibus, carminibus, and conjurationibus, aliisque nefandis, superstitiosis et sortelegis excessibus, criminibus et delictis, mulierum partus, animalium foetus, terrae fruges, vinearum uvas and arboreum fructus; necton homines, muliers, pecora, pecudes and alia diversorum generum animalia; vineas quoque, omeria, prata, pascua, blada, frumenta and alia terraæ legumina perire, suffocari and extingui face and procurare; ipsosque homines, muliers, marmenta, pecora, pecudes and animalia, diris tam intrinsecis quam extrinsecis doloribus et tormentis afficere et excruciare; ac eosdem homines ne gignere, et muliers ne concipire, virosque ne uxoribus, et muliers ne viris actus conjugales reddere valeant, impe dire; fidem præterea ipsam quam in sacri susceptione baptimi suceperunt, ore sacrilego abnegare; aliaque quam plurima nefanda, excessusususus et critina, instigante humani generis inimico, committere et perpetrare non verentur in animarum suarunı periculum, divinæ Majestatis Offensam ac perniciosum exemplum ac scandalum plurimorum, etc.

© 984 2nd section: the evil parodies: magic

VII. — The Christian tradition of the fact and crime of demonic operations in the form of magic has not changed since the first centuries. We do not know any ecclesiastical writer, enjoying some reputation of science and orthodoxy, who has challenged the possibility or even the existence of these practices, and we could cite an unbroken series of witnesses who assert it, both among the Greeks and among the Latins, from the former doctors to the most recent ones. "It is a point admitted and maintained by the apologists," says a contemporary author who cleverly condensed the traditional statements about the different parts of the Christian dogma, that the demons made themselves in the world (by them) upset, like a new empire?, by founding paganism there*; that they seduced and misled men by the fables of the poets {, by mysteries, oraclesf, aruspices? and idols $, so that they were worshipped by the blinded and madly struck human race °."

Two intrepid defenders of the faith in the last century, Bullet © and Baltus *', have demonstrated against the sophists who dishonored this age, that the reign of magic is inseparable from idol worship, and have produced about it the

1 Henri Krier, Manual on the History of Christian Dogmas, 2nd 1., ch. 3, n. 45, t. 1, p. 365.

2 ATHENAGORE, Leg. 25. — Eusèbe, Dem. ev., l. 4, ©. 9.

3 ATHENAGORE, Leg. 26. — Tueopair., Awlolyc., 11, 28.

4 Taeorg., Auto/yc., 11, 40.

8 TERTULLIEN, Præscr., 40, Baptism., ©. 5, Apol., 22.

S TERTULLIAN, Or. 43. — ORIGIN, Cels. 1v, 92. — Crmvsosr., Or. de S. Babyl., from S. Paulo, rat. 42. — Sozom., Hist. eccl., v. 18.

7 LACTANCE, of Morte Persec., ©. 10.

8 Minutus FELIX, Oct. 27. — ORIGIN, in Ts. hom., 7, n. 2, Cels., VIN, 41.

9 JUSTIN, Apol. 1, ©. 10, 12. — TATIEN, Græc., 19, 18. — ATHENAG., Leg. 26. — Mımour. Feuix, Octav. 27. — CLEMENT AL., Coh., 2. — ORIGIN, Cels., m, 29, salt. in num. xxxi, 4. — TERTULL., Spect., 10, 12.

10 Hist. of the establishment of Christianity, Migne, Dém. év., t. 12, col, 433 and sq.

11 Reply to the story of Oracles by Fontenelle.

do and. irrefutable testimonies of: the oldest Fathers.

The theologians continue the chain. Let us name only Hugues de Saint-Victor!, Guillaume de Paris?, Saint Thomas d'Aquin *, Saint Bonaventure +, Gerson, Bossuet ê. This persevering agreement of the doctors, attached to the attestations of Scripture, made the illustrious Suarezs, told that this teaching is so certain that it cannot be challenged without error in faith.

IX.—Leave aside the many accounts of the story of magic, from Simon the Mage's high bliss to the recent prowess of Scots, M. David Dunglas Home, the most famous medium of modern spiritism, indicates only by finishing two forms of human testimony that seem to us to establish the reality of magic operations, namely: popular beliefs and the severity of laws relative to the harms of magic.

Nothing is more inveterate than superstition among peoples without religious truth. We have already said with Bergier, wherever idol worship reigns, magic also reigns. We believe that there is no point in insisting on this point. To the one who would contradict us, we nal-

1 Eruditionis didascalicæ, 1. 6, c. 15, Migne, t. 176, Col. 810,

2 De Legibus, C. 24,t. 1, p. 69; C 27, p. 89.

3 Sum. 2.2, 95 and 96.

4 Sent., L 2.4 7, P. 2, a. 2.q. 2 and. 3, ti 2, p. 421 et seq.

5 Tract. de Erroribus circa artem magicam et Articul. reprobatis, t. Four, collar. 210-219.

6 4th Serm. on demons, Exord., t. 12 p. 171.

7 De Relig., 1.2 de Superst., c. 14, n. 7 t. 13, p. 560: Dicendum ergo sine dubitatione est dari magiam quae docet mira-aliqua facere, quae, virtute humana et per causas naturales, prout abhomine cognosci et appliri posunt, prouii non valourable; ac subinde talem magiam superstitiosam esse, quia sine pacto dæmonis non fait. Hæc assertio est tam certa, ut.sine error in fide negari non posit; nam satis expresse habetur in Scriptura.

Philon‘, Pline?, or even Bossuet *, would be bequeathed in turn, at different times and under different conditions, the universality of magic; we would not make him enumeration of the ancient and modern peoples, all infected with this leprosy; we would simply beg him to cite a pagan nation that was free of it. Preserve to God that his true worshipers were clean of such filth! The severe penalties whose Mosaic and Christian laws continue the exercise of divination and magic may have contained, they have never completely prevented these abominable practices. — Now, if everything is in vain in this art, if everything is constantly deceived by those who exercise it, if man always invokes in pure loss the help of invisible powers, how to explain this unanimous perseverance to resort to it, not only from the ignorant vulgar, but also from the most famous + representatives

1 De Spec. legibus, p. 666: Non plebei solum sectantur, sed etiam reges regum maximi, præsertim Persici...; ex hac adultrata depravataque descend quas maxime proprio vocabulo malas artes dicimus, circulatorum ariolorumque studia.

2 Natur. hist., 1. 30 c. 1, p. 537: Fraudulentissima artium plurimum in toto terrarum orb plurimisque sæculis worth.

3 Jer Sermon on demons, Exord., t. 42, p. 171: This is further confirmed by this no're science of magic, to which many too curious people have given themselves in all parts of the earth.

4 Baye, Response to Provincial Questions, c. 38, t. 3, p.573: D it is natural that I remember here a letter where you told me about two or three strong spirits, who told you several times that to deny the existence of magic, one only needs proof that can be drawn from the miserable condition of those who were accused of mingling with this art, people raised among sheep, they said to you, rude, stupid, mountain women, some women of the people's lee, ugly to scare, who barely have enough to live. What appearance that the demon never gets communicated to such people, and that it does not enrich some of its secters to make many others want to devote themselves to his service? It will be very easy for you, Sir, to refute the alleged evidence that these gentlemen are making so many cases. It is based on a false assumption. All you have to do is read my last letter (previous chapter); you will see that princes and princesses, and great philosophers have cultivated magic, have made it a profession, or have used those who profess it. But here are other examples, etc.

of ancient philosophy? In all the lands of the earth, therefore, dupes and dupers would have irremediably obstinately insisted on perpetuating a lure without result as without foundation: it is obviously exaggerating human imbecility.

X. — The civil laws have sanctioned these popular wanderings by their severity in suppressing malice. Plato? wanted magicians who used their art to harm them to death. Saint Augustine reminded the Gentiles of his time that, from the confession of Cicero, the oldest laws of Rome, that is, those of the Twelve Tables, imposed the same penalty for the same crimes. The Justinian + code condemned to the last torment those who had caused man's death by magical words and enchantments, such as those who had killed by iron or poison. The Middle Ages, who knows, sent the diviners and sorcerers to the stake. Such rigors, whose enemies of the Church would like to place responsibility on her, as if the Church were responsible for the penalties of the different peoples and ages, assume that all societies and the Church itself have held the evils of magic, not for chimeras, but for real and characterized crimes.

But, in good faith, if magic is nothing but a fraud,

1 Prine. Nat. hist., 1. 30, ©. 1, p. 538: Certe Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Plato ad manc discendam navigavere..., manc reversei prædicavere, manc in arcanis habuere. i

2 De Legibus, l. 34, dial. 42, p. 604: Quino quis vero nodis, inductionibus, cantibus similibusque veneficiis ad nocendum paratus deprehensus est, si aruspex aut prodigiorum interpres sit, occidatur.

3 De Civ. Dei, 1. 8, ©. 19, t. 2, p. 393: An fort istas leges christiani instituunt, quibus artes magicæ punitur?... Nonne in duodecim Tabulis, id est Romanorum antiquissimis legibus, Cicero commemorat esse conscriptum ei qui hoc fecerit supplicium constitulum?

4 Instit., l. Four, title. 18, n. 5, t. 2, p. 311: Eadem lege et venefici capite damnantur, qui, artibus odiosis, tam venennis quam susurris magicis, hemines occiderint, vel mala medicamenta publice vendiderint.

SECA Ran Aa Re

: Was MAGIE allowed to punish her otherwise than because of the damage caused by a cause for which it was used as a mask? That if it is only a hallucination of sick brains, all the sentences of the past were, if not brilliant iniquities, at least lamentable aberrations: the judges of those times all had a blindfold on their eyes and did not earn those who, today, decided our conflicts.

Modern laws have removed the penalties from which the ancients had magic: has magic disappeared for this?

We don't think so, and we should be inattentive to believe it. These mysteries of Satan are renewed in the midst of us, in the darkest constituticles of Masonic societies; they spread out in the open in the sessions of contemporary spiritism, and, presumably, in the strange phenomena of rotating tables and artificial magnetism.

But let's stop at these insights on which we will have to come back, or better, let's sum them up in the following quote from Abbé Thiers, the well-known author of the -TITIONS.

"It's so close," he said, "to want to light up the sun, that to stop proving the existence of dark or evil magic. In fact, the Holy Scripture defends in several places to consult the magicians and mentions the magicians of Pharaoh and Manasses, the pythonisse or guessess whom Saul, Simon the magician, Bar-Jesu the magician, and another pythonisse of the body of which the Apostle Saint Paul cast the demon. The councils fulminate anathemas against magicians, holy Fathers and historians speak of them when they have occasion to do so. Finally, civil law imposes various penalties on them. So we can't deny that there are magicians or sor-

For these two words are usually taken in the same meaning, without visibly contradicting the holy Letters, the sacred and profane tradition, the canonical and civil laws and the experience of all centuries, and without imprudently rejecting the irrefragable and infallible authority of the Church, which so often throws the lightnings of excommunication against them!"

1 Treaty of superstitions, c. 1%, p. 120.

Chapter XIII

Magic — The Pact

On the part of man, the pact is tacit or formal. — The explicit pact is verbal or written. — Ordinary clauses of the contract. — Invocations are not always effective. — When the demon does not answer, it is usually because God prevents it. — The pact is not binding for either demon or man. Difficult for man to get out. — The priest's merciful mission. — Examples of broken pacts, History of Saint Theophilus the Penitent.

I. — In the perverse relations between man and the fallen angel, one can consider the pact that underpins them, the effects that result and the means used to obtain them, and finally the external signs that betray their infamous servitude in Satan's followers.

This chapter deals with the pact which is the starting point of magic.

On the part of man, this pact consists in asking the demon for effects that exceed human energies: it therefore presupposes an invocation, at least implicit, of his assistance and a desire to enter into contact with him, equal to that which one has to achieve the desired results: one wants the means as one wants the end.

The devilish pact

This covenant is express or tacit, depending on whether the inquiry to Satan is direct or only aimed at the effects that must be his work! In one and the other case, there is magic; but, of course, there is a profound difference between these two kinds of commitments. The simple tacit, perceived, deliberate, consented convention is undoubtedly a serious sin; and, when it is followed by extrahuman results that we know come from the evil action, it is equivalent to a formal agreement; explicit stipulations with the enemy of God, however, imply a bolder denial of divine things and salvation?

This is the pact that we consider mainly here.

II. — It concludes with words addressed to the demon or with the acceptance of a formula proposed by the demon himself, whether it appears and offers its help, or whether it is evoked by adjurations and promises.

Usually, the commitment is not only verbal: it is written, and the victim signs it, sometimes even of his blood. Most often, the convention ends with instigations and in the hands of magicians who give and receive promises in Satan's name, before he has deigned to show himself or give guarantees of his adherence. In the present day, initiation is more ordinarily carried out in secret societies* by means of execu-

1 Binsreznius of Confess. malefic. Præl. 6 p. 21 and 22: Omnia opera maleficorum performed outuntur ex pacto espresso vel tacito cum dæmone... Vera and Catholica doctrina is intercedere possesse pactus, and de facto intervene in operabus magorum and maleficorum.

2 SUAREZ, from Superstit., ©. 14, n. 10, t. 13, p. 561: Quinso ergo magia fait per pactus explicitum, manifestem hahet malitiam, eamque gravissimam, etiamsi in minima materia versari vieatur; quia invocatio daemonis gravissima injuria Dei est, etiamsi ad remminimm invocetur.

3 Görres, Mystique, l. 6, c. 15, t. 4 p. 229: The most ordinary initiation to these infàm mysteries takes place through secret societies and with certain formalities, without the devil having to intervene personally.

the leaders impose on the followers, making them shine in their eyes the bait of prosperity and temporal enjoyments.

JII. — The terms and conditions of this infamous contract are intended to enslave man to the demon and to make the demon available to man.

The ordinary stipulations imposed on man are: the worship of Satan, the denial of God, Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin; the desecration of holy things, especially of the Holy Eucharist; and the promise to put themselves, at an appointed end, at the mercy of the demon.

Sometimes the clever angel is less demanding, assured that he is or flattering himself with the hope that a first concession will bring others, and that once engaged on this slope of consensual relations with hell, the man will slide to the bottom: is not the victim already bound by crime, submissive and promised to the dark empire?

IV. — These invocations and perverse desires, which call upon the demon, are only too successful in bringing him in, especially when one uses an appointed intermediary or mingles with the ungodly assemblies which have as their object these abominable manifestations. However, the inquiry, mainly when it is direct and occurs without a pre-existing pact, often remains ineffective. Jean-Antoine Llorente! reports a striking example, of which we do not guarantee authenticity. Towards the end of the 17th century, an artisan from Madrid, Jean Pérez, driven by misery, gave himself to the devil body and soul, on the condition that he would help him to avenge the people to whom he blamed his misfortunes. Although Satan would have called upon him to consult with all the magicians whom he could discover and follow their counsel, Satan never responded to his advances. Instead of recognizing this in-

1 Critical History of the Spanish Inquisition, t. 2, p. 51.

success in the divine protection that saved him from his most cruel enemy, the poor man came to deny that there were demons, and saw himself, for the latter evil, brought to the court of the Inquisition. He confessed everything, explained his negations by his misadventures, treated the magicians and sorcerers of impostors and disarmed his judges by declaring himself ready to accept all the penances that they would like to impose on him.

According to Suarez's Just remark, the failure of these attempts is due to a more or less secret purpose of Providence; but, for man, sin is the same.

V. — To the extent that God permits, the demon responds to man's call and undertakes to give him what he desires: science, if he wants to know; gold, voluptuousness, honors, revenge, at his will. He promises to obey the evocations, in accordance with the covenant, and generally he keeps his word, unless God prevents him. He also observes the conventions relating to the evils, inflicting or suspending evil, depending on whether the magician poses or withdraws the conventional sign, and this, as Suarez still observes, not out of fidelity, for he is essentially a liar, but out of hatred for man, whose ruin he assures by satisfying his desires.

1 From Superstit., ©. 8, n. 1, t. 13, p. 503: Aliquando vero proprii potest ut, liket homo postulet a dæmone talem cognitionem, etiam oblatea aliqua conditione, non doceat illum, neque ullum præbeat responsum, vel quia Deus non permittit, vel propter alias rationes nobis occultas. Tunc autem proprio culpa divinationis jam commissa is ab homine, etiamsi performed desideratus non fuerit subsecutus.

2 De Superst., ©. 8, n. 4, t. 13, p. 503: Modus etiam ex parte petentis varius est: interdum enim ad petitionem adjunguntur sacricia, suflitus, and aliæ ceremoniae in honorem dæmonis factæ. Aliquando adjunguntur adjudures, figuræ, unctiones, and similia, juxta pactus cum illo factum. Unde aliquando solo imperio invocatur dæmon, and quasi cogitur responsee in vi pacti; and regulariter non deest ipse promissis, nisi a Deo impediatur; non propter vim fidelitatis, mendax enim est; sed propter odium hominis and aviditatem nocendi illi; nam, etiam antequam invocetur, hominem inducit et tentat ut ipsum invocet.

In addition, the means and formulas to be used for subsequent evocations and the realization of demonic wonders are defined. All the magic books assume that with the help of certain sacramental signs and words, man has the ability to evoke the evil spirit!; this succeeds, at least almost always, in the cases of a pact that has specified the conditions.

VI. — In truth, the evil spirit is not bound to his promises; he keeps only what he wants and to the extent that he hopes to harm? The man alone is bound; not that he is obliged to honour these heinous commitments, nor that he is powerless to break them, but because of the cruel empire which he exercises over him, from this sacrilegious oath, the one whom he has given himself as master.

The difficulty of getting out of hand seems even greater when Satan has been given a writing, or given the right to life and death by the covenant in the case of infidelity. The atrocity of crime and the fear of the tyrant to whom they have enslaved, bank the chains of these poor slaves and plunge them into irremediable despair. Far from being founded, such persuasion constitutes a heresy and a crime greater than the one that serves him

1 Gürnes, Mystique, 1. 6, c. 9, t. 4 p. 140: Already the ancient books of magic used by Anselm of Parma, Peter of Apono, etc., are largely based on this belief, that man can easily, with certain formulas, subject to his power the kingdom of darkness or even that of light. Among these formulas, some may have been suggested or provided by demons and then preserved by tradition.

2 DeLrio, Disg. mag., l. 2, Q: 4, t. 1, p. 229: Ex his pactis non nascitur obligatio mutua, sed dispar admodum est conditiio paciscentium; homines enim se morti æternæ addicunt, and per peccatum vera diaboli mancipia efficuntur, daemoniacæque, donec ad Dei gratiam iterum perveniant, subjicuntur teterrimæ serituti. Verumtamen hominibus hoc pacto nihil juris vel virium in dæmonem acquiritur, nihil etiam facultatis in signa quibus ex condicto utensem commigrate; cogi se simulat versipellis, et sponte perficit quicquid magica ista profiteur.

995 of pretext. As long as the trial lasts, the sinner belongs, can and must return to God. These unfortunate ones must therefore hope in divine mercy and repent; penance is the only, but true, means of restoring the horrific covenant that dedicates them to damnation. It does not matter whether the demon holds the sensitive promises by which they have bound themselves, or returns them; provided that conversion is sincere and constant, they are assured of their salvation. Unfortunately, it is a fact of experience that these kinds of conversions are rarely complete and lasting, and it is only too true, judging by the results, that the return of these unfortunate victims of evil prestige and their perseverance in the good are deplorable difficulties.

VII. — The priest, who represents divine mercy to these sinners, will be careful not to express hesitations that would encourage despair. However, he must demand from them appropriate reparations for the evil they have done and evidence that is sufficient to prove their sincerity. He will therefore ask them to abjure any commitment and any relationship with the demon, to burn the forms, books, charms and instruments of any kind used in this infamous trade, as well as the cedule of the pact, if they have it in their hands; and finally to repair the damage which they have in their hands.

1 Suarez, from Superst., ©. 17, n. 4, t. 13, p. 585: His ergo hominibus, ut resipiscant, primum omnium remedium contra desperationem and heresim adhibendum est, solent enim miseri existimare nullum sibi remedium ad æternam saluteem superesse, eo quod jam illi renunciarunt, and ad perpetuam societatem et subjectureem dæmoni se obligarunt. At vero definito judicio hoc credere hereticum est, and secundum illam existimationem vel apprehensionem operari, desperationis peccatum est. Tenentur ergo isti firmiter credere imprimis non solum licit possesse sed etiam teneri pactus rescindere et daemoni abrenunciare, and, quantitatively, omnia signa perrumpere, and omnino a prioribus maleficiis abstinere. Deinde tenenteur credere etiam hoc peccatum per pænitentiam possesse deleri, ad quam subtinde excitandi sunt, nam hoc remedio omnino rescinditur prius pactus, siye chirographum reddere cogatur, sanctis sicut aliquibus legitur, sive no, illud enim nihil in fine vitae coram Deo nocebit, si per pænitentiam suffcienter deletum sit.

may have caused by their malice. They may pray to God or to the saints, if the devil holds the copy of the covenant, so that it may be returned to them; but they shall not do any direct adjugation for this purpose.

VII. — Not only does the magic pact not irrevocably seal eternal damnation; but after breaking it, one can rise, through penance, to the highest perfection. Some saints are mentioned who, returning from this abominable trade with Satan, left in the Church a reputation of holiness and deserved the honors of canonization, among others St.Cyprian?, who, after having tried by magic to pervert St.Justine, shared his martyrdom; Blessed Gilles de Vaozel*, of the Preachers Brothers. But the most famous among all is Saint Theophile, nicknamed the Penitent. We will reproduce in substance the story of his fall and his conversion, written by a named Eutychian, who seems to have witnessed the facts. The reader will see how far the misgivings of pride can lead and how powerful is the Pintercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By the middle of the vi century, before the invasion of the Roman Empire by the Persians, Theophile {exercised in the church

1 S. LIGUORI, Theol mor., 1. 3, n. 28, t. 1, p. 271: Monendi sunt se teneri 1. Pactus expressum, so quod habent cum dæmone, aut commercium abjurare and dissolve; 2. Libros suos, schedas, ligaturas, aliaque instrumenta artis oxurere; 3. Chirographum fuel, if habitant; if vero solus dæmon id habeat, non necessario cogendus is ut reddat, quia pactum sufficienter solveur per penitentiam; 4. Damna illata resarcire,

3 , BB. 14 Mayi, t. 46, p. 404, n. 2.

4 BB. 4 febr., t. 4 p. 489, n. 1, 2: Factum est, priusquam incursio fireet in romanam rempublicam execrandæ Persarum gentis, fuisse in una civitate nomine Adana, Ciliciorum secunda regione, quemdam vice-dominum sanctæ Dei Ecclesiae, nomine Theophilum, moribus et conversationibus præcipuum... Communi consilio decreverunt eum creari episcopum... Ductus is ad metropolitanum episcopum, and susceptus cum gaudio. Sacratio imminebat; at ille prostratus pavimento, comprehensis pedibus episcopy, precabatur nihil in se tale exercii, immeritum se omnino episcopatus gradu

of Adana, in Cilicia, the office of steward or steward with disinterest, zeal and charity that had won him all hearts. The bishop who had given up his trust having come to die, the vote of the clergy and the people unanimously took place on Theophile and appointed him to the Metropolitan as the most worthy of holding this position of honour. But he, still humble, fell at his feet, declaring himself unworthy of the episcopal office and begging that this burden should be spared to his weakness. His bodies were such that he was given three days of reflection. The last three days, his repugnance and his response were the same: another choice had to be made.

Jealous counselors warned against the faithful treasurer of the new bishop, who, too easy for the first impressions, withdrew his office and provided another one.

The emptiness was made around this man, who was once a subject of such disdain. In the solitude where he was relegated to his disgrace, the spirit of pride enslaved bitter and dark thoughts that demanded revenge and a brilliant rehabilitation: troubled, splattered, out of him, he resolved to ask the devil for one and the other.

He spoke to a Jew, known in the city as a magician,

proclaimed, and sua bene nose peccata... Videns itaque episcopus tantam in cjus obstinatione constantiam, and quod omnino acquiescere nollet, dimisit eum, atque alterum promovit dignum.

1 BB. Ibid., p. 490, n. 3 and 4: Ordinato episcopo..., quidam de clero instigaverunt, ut, amoto Illo, alium Ecclesiae ordinaret vice-dominum. Quo facto, suæ tantum domus is, which a priori recesserat officio, agebat curam. Igitur callidus hostis et humani generis invidus inimicus, eumdem virum modeste degere et bonis conversari operabus conspiciens, pravis cogitationibus cor illius coepit pulsare...

Erat denique in eadem. civitate hebræus quidam nefandissimus, and omnino diabolicæ artis operator... Unde Festinus perrexit noctu ad præfatum hebræum... Dicebat: Quæso te, adjuva me, quiniam episcopus meus opprobrium in me practice, and special operatus is in me. Respond ei execrabilis ille hebræus: Crastina nocte, hora ista veni ad me, and ducam te ad patronum meum, and subveniet tibi in quo volucris.

and came to ask for his intervention to recover and avenge his honor. "Come back tomorrow at the same time," said the Jew, "I will introduce you to my master and he will grant your request."

Theophile returned the next day towards the middle of the night. His guide led him to the arenas of the city, and when they were there, he said to him: "Whatever you see and hear, do not be afraid, especially do not make the sign of the cross." Theophile promised everything. Then appeared in his eyes a tumultuous meeting of men clothed with coats of coats, bearing torches, and having in the midst of them a kind of king sitting on a throne: He was the devil and his court.

The Jew, taking Theophile by hand, presented him to the assembly. "What does this man come to do here?" said the devil."Victim of the precautions of his bishop, he asks, master, for your help."How can I help a man who serves God? But if he wants to come to my service and be part of my army, that he relies on me; I will get him more credit than he has ever had, he will see everyone at his feet, even the bishop.""You hear?" said the introducer, turning to Theophile."Yes, I heard," said the latter, "and I accept all the conditions, provided he comes to my aid."

1 BB. Ibid. Nefandus vero hebræus duxit ilum ad Cireum civitatis, and dixit ei: Quodcumque videris, aut qualemcumque audieris sonum, ne tertaris, nec signum crucis tibi facias. Hlo autem spondente, soudio ostendit ei albos clamydatos cum multitudine candelabrorum clamantes, and in medio principlem sedentem. Erat enim diabolus and ministeri ejus... And have ad eum diabolus: Quid nobis hune bominem adduxisti? Responds: Ab episcopo suo præjudicatum, vestrumque adjutorium postulantem, Domine mi, perxi eum, Dixit autem ille: Quale illi adjutorium dabo homini servienti Deo suo? Sed so meus famulus esse cupit, et inter nostros milites reputari, ego illi subvenio, ita ut plus quam prius facere posit, et imperare omnibus, etiam episcopo... Tune introvit in vice-dominum illum Satanas, and have: Abnego Christum and ejus Genitressem; facient chirographum, imposita cera signavit annulo proprio.

: THE DIABOLIC COVENANT 299 Satan said, "Let him deny the son of Mary and Mary also; they are one of me and the other also in horror, and let him write to me a writing of all this; he can then ask me everything; but let him renounce it first."

In the wandering of his passion, the unfortunate renegade Christ and his Mother, wrote that he sealed from his ring and handed it over to his new master; then he withdrew very satisfied with the hopes given to him.

Strangely, the next day, probably by an inspiration from Providence, says the historian whose account we summarize!, but nothing prevents us from believing that this resolution was secretly suggested by the evil spirit, the next day the bishop recalled Theophile with great honor, and, for the reparation to be more complete, he restored him to his office in the presence of the clergy and the people, confessing publicly that he had been wrong to strip and provide another less able one.

So this is the renegade more in favor than ever. However, he was no longer the same man; far from tempering his authority, as in the past, by mildness and modesty, he overtly commanded, and everyone trembled around him. The Jew who had lost him frequently visited him in secret, until he was burned alive for his crimes and mischief, and boasted to him the power and services of his master; from which Theophile agreed and never ceased to express his gratitude.

God, however, in consideration of the merits of the past,

1 BB. Ibid., p. 490, n. 5: In crastinum autem, divina, ut reor, providentia motus episcopus, cum omni honor revocato ex secessu vice-domino, turpiter quem ipse promoterat ejecto, priorem constituit vice-dominum, præbuitque coram omni clero et populo auctoritatem dispensationis sanctæ Ecclesiae atque possessionum ei pertinentium, cunctæque plebis, ac duplo tantum quam antea fuerat præpositus, denuo est honore sublimatus... Cœpit disponere et elevari super omnes idem vice-dominus, omnibus cum metu ct tremore obedientibus ei and ministerialbus per parvum tempus.

. took pity on this great sinner and gave him the grace to enter into himself. His thought focused on the last ends, so suitable to remove the sinner from his hardening. Scared by what awaited him, after death, at God's judgment, he began a new life of prayers, fasting, watch and tears. "Missable that I am," he said to himself, "what have I done! What is not my crime! Where to flee to find the salvation of my soul? Where will I go, an unfortunate sinner who denied my Savior and his Mother, and dedicated myself in writing to Satan's slavery? Who can rip me out of his hands and help me? O fatality that made me meet this infamous Jew, worthy of the torment he suffered! What will my honors and my riches be worth to me in the dreadful day of demonstrations, before the sovereign judge to whom nothing escapes, and who holds vengeance in his hand? Ah, woe to me, a thousand times woe!"

As he was desolating himself in this way, the thought arose in his soul to resort to the Most Holy Virgin Mary and to implore divine mercy through her. So he came to the temple dedicated to the Mother of God, and he spent forty days and forty nights there without interruption his supplications, fasts and watches.

At the end of this time, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her in the middle of the night and addressed these harsh words to her? "Where comes the audacity to invoke my help to a

1 BB. Ibid., n. 5: O mistrime ego, quid feci and quid operatus sum! Quo jam pergam cumulationatus luxuriis ut salvam faciam animam meam? Ubi vadam infelix ego peccator, who negavi Christum meum and sanctam ejus Genitressem, and feci me sernum diaboli per nefandæ bailis chirographum? Whos putas hominum potrit illam abstrahere manu vastatoris diaboli and adjuvare me? Quæ flees needas cognoscendi nefandissimum and comburndem illum hebræum?... Quid responseam in die judicii, quando omnia nuda et aperta erunt?..: Væ mihi misero!...

2? BB. Ibid., p. 491, n. 9: Post expletionem vero dierum, medio noctis appeared manifest... Domina nostra and vera Mater Christi, dictens ei: Quid sic, o homo, postulans permanences temere fastidioseque, ut te adjuvem, ho-

who denied my Son and denied me myself? If you had offended only me, who represents pure mercy and cannot refuse anything to those who call me to help them, your fault would be forgiven; but I cannot see or hear the renegades of my Son; how shall I present myself before his face to calm his righteousness and plead for forgiveness?

"My crime is great," replied the humble penitent; "but even greater is your mercy, and you can do everything about Him who was born of you, O my Sovereign, O blessed Mother, the protection and refuge of sinners. Forgiveness has never been denied repentance and penance. The Ninevites, David, the prince of the apostles, Zacchaeus, Saint Paul, the incestuous of Corinth, and until this Blessed Cyprien, who, after having renounced the practices of magic for Jesus Christ, deserved to share the martyrdom of Saint Justine, are all witnesses. Like them, I repent and want to do penance; like them, get me forgiveness!

"Since these are your feelings and your desires," replied the gentle and compassionate Mother of Jesus, "confess with heart and mouth that the One whose mother I am and whom you have denied is Christ, the Son of the living God, the judge of the living and the dead, and then I will intercede for you."

Theophile, face to face and bathed in tears, cried out from the bottom of his soul: "Yes, Jesus Christ is my Lord and my God; I confess him and worship him."

And the vision disappeared.

Three days again the humble penitent remained so prostrate and begging, until the divine Virgin, appearing again, addressed to him these consoling words:

minem that abnegasti Filium meum, Salvatorem mundi, and me?... Esto, O homo, ea quae in me peregisti peccata, posunt aliquid habere indultum...; Filii autem mei exacerbatores nec autre patior, nec empire, ete.

302 : THE MAGIE: "Man of God, your penance is approved of your Creator and Savior; to my prayer he has received your tears and answered your sighs; abide in peace and be faithful to the end to your Lord and my Son!"

‘A matter of concern remained with Theophile: the demon held the cedule of his denial. He begged the Blessed Virgin to have her recovered. Three days later, while he was sleeping, it seemed to him that the Mother of God came to lay her in her hands, and when he awakened, he found her indeed on her chest?

The next day, which was a Sunday, Theophile went to the main church where the people gathered together for the holy mysteries: and, after the gospel, bowing down to the surprised bishop's feet, he publicly told his apostasy, his penance, and the wonders that had assured him of his forgiveness; then he showed the infamous miraculously recovered note and burned it, while the pontiff and all the assembly burst into thanksgiving.ÿ

When this public atonement was accomplished, the blessed penitent returned to the sanctuary of Our Lady where he had found forgiveness and peace, determined not to leave this blessed place any more. But so many tremors and emotions had exhausted his strength. He became ill, and a few days later he gave his soul to the Lord Jesus and to the Immaculate Virgin, to the very place where she had appeared to him, and who was also that of his burial.

1 BB. Ibid., p. 492, n. 13: Rursum... appeared hilari vultu, and lætis oculis, and mansueta voce, dicens ei: Homo Dei, sufficants is penitentia tua, etc.

- What? BB. Jbid., n. 14: Post tres alteros dies, tanquam in visione exhibition ei S. Maria chartulam bailis... and somno surgens invenit chartulam super pectus suum.

8 BB. Ibid., n. 15: In crastinum vero, cum essay dominicus dies, pergens in sanctam catholicam ecclesiam..., omnia enarravit, ete.

4 BB. Ibid., p. 493, n. 18: And accedens ad venerabile templum Dei Genitricis, quae eam liberavit ab execrabili illo errore, modicum gistans, disso-

30 Like God, the Church forgets the error and remembers only the return, and, no doubt on the faith of the signs that he-

lustre her tomb, she has inscribed Theophile the Penitent in the catalogue of her saints.

latus corpore, infirmatus est in eo loco; in quo et sepultus est, ubi etiam and beatam illam visionem vidit, declinans se tanquam confixus in eo loco. And post triduum, fraternal oscula, tradidit beatam animam in manu Filii Dei and immaculateæ semper Virginis Mariæ,

Chapter XIV

The Prodigies of Magic — I. Evocations

The various points of view. — Evocation. — Variety of evil apparitions: prestiges, pythonics, oracles. — Evocation of the dead or necromancy. — Scene of an evocation in the Pharsal of Lucain. — These sensitive manifestations are the work of demons. — Renewal of evocations in spiritism.

I. — The wonders that come from magic are numerous and of all kinds. Developing these various aspects would give our work an disproportionate extension, capable of frightening the reader and weary ourselves. We will limit ourselves to pointing out the various prestiges and to discussing, in the light of theology, what they really contain of evil influence.

The trade with the demon is two degrees. In the first, the fallen angel betrays his intervention only by producing, at the request of man, an extrahuman effect; in the second, questioned, he makes an act of presence under a sensitive appearance: it is then the evocation.

Whether or not there is a prestigious demonstration, the re-

MAGIC PRODIGES: EVOCATIONS 303 results of magic can be divided into four categories, depending on the diversity of the purpose it aims to achieve: knowledge to be acquired, difficulty to produce, good to be realized, worship to be given to the demon in public assemblies.

The science that comes from the demon takes the generic name of divination.

The mischievous things that it produces are of several kinds that we will have to specify.

The goods offered have as their object health, opulence, pleasures; we will say what to think of healings, riches and voluptuousness of this kind.

The assemblies where Satan's followers meet to give him divine honors are known as the Sabbath.

So we have to talk successively about the evocation, the divination, the malice, the satanic favors, the Sabbath.

II. — Let us continue this chapter by dealing with evocation, the most common and highest practice of magic.

We will tell later, about the magical processes, by what means these evil apparitions are provoked; at present we only want to describe the main forms, the reality and the nature of these manifestations.

HI. — The forms of demonic appearance are innumerable, but they are grouped and characterized according to the senses that they affect. As we have said in dealing with the objects of vision, the demons show themselves to the eyes under a sensitive appearance of men, animals or any other object; they reveal themselves to be lured by words, noises, cclaimers; to smell, by sometimes delectable and softening smells, but usually

19th P., c. 41, t. 2, p. 193. If III 20

Infected; to taste, touch, voluptuous or painful impressions. Saint Thomas! describes the outside or fantastic manifestations by which the cursed angels reveal themselves to mortals as PRESTIGES. Living men are the ordinary organs of these ostensible interventions. We have already pointed out the energists in whom demons speak and act in their own name and through direct action. They must be joined by the: suppôts who ex officio work on this infamous mediation and prophesy in fury. This aspect of magic, which could be called PYTHONIC, had the character of a regular and traditional institution in the most famous temples of paganism. When the demons spoke through the mouth of the idols?, these interventions were called D'ORACLES, although this qualifier was also suitable for the answers made by those agitated by the furious spirit of python.

IV. — When demons reveal themselves under the appearances of known or unknown dead, it is NECROMANCY. These evocations, which bring spirits into the visible world, occupy the first place among the evil prestiges. They usually operate through a medium or magician who reminds in the scene of the living the invisible beings that are asked to see or to see

1 Sum. 2.2, q. 95, a. 3: Whenqueque quidem præstigiosis quibusdam apparitionibus se aspectui et auditui hominumingerentes ad prænuntianda futura; et haec species vocatur præstigium ex eo quod oculi hominum perstringuntur. i

2 S. CvrEn, of Idolorum vanitate, 1. 1; p. 432: Hi ergo spiritus sub statusis atque imaginibus consecrati delitescunt. Hi afflatu suo vatum pectora inspiring, extorum fibras animant, avium volatus gubernant, regunt kinds, oracula effective, falsa veris semper involvunt, nam and necessary and necessary, vitam turbant, somnos worried, irrational and irrational and irrational corporibus occult mentes earth, membra distort, valetudinem frangunt, morbos lacessunt ut ad cultum sui cogant ut nestore altarium and rogis pecorum saginati resis quae constrinxant curasse vividatur. Hæc is of illis medela cum illorum cessat injuria.

interview. Thus did the pythonisse of Endor evoked the prophet Samuel, to the prayer of the unfortunate king Saul! This is not the place to discuss the character of this apparition; but, that there has been evocation and appearance, those only can question it, which do not have respect for the sacred and historical texts.

Paganism made frequent use of magical evocations, as well as the allusions, statements and accounts of ancient authors. Ulysses is known to be evoking in the Odyssey of Homer?, and Pomiting what Virgile actually does in the Sixth Book of Eneid. Stace °, Lucien‘, Apuleei, Celsef, Macrobe, allow no doubt about the existence and frequency of these practices. The philosophy of the Alexandrians, whom Julien the Apostate tried to replace Christianity, had as its main dogma the evocation of spirits. Lucain, in her Pharsal, describes the grim scene of a magician struggling with the corpse of a Roman legionary, which she reminds life to obtain revelations.

V.—We reproduce this passage to give an idea of the way in which one conceived the evocation in pagan centuries. It feels like Lucain's usual phase, but here the exaggeration of the form is very close to the horrific truth.

On the eve of the battle of Pharsale, Sextus, son of

1 See Bible of Vence, t. 4 p. 71-84, — Mr. Abbé Clair, the Books of the RO1S 4. A; DaS:

2 Odyss., l. 11. — See DE Sainte-Croix, Research on the mysteries of paganism, Reflections on Homer's Necyomancy, t. 2, p. 236.

3 Thebaid., l. 4 p. 164 et seq.

Dialog., Necyomantia, p. 212.

5 Metamorph., 1. 1, t. 1, p. 20; — 1. 2, p. 131.

6 ORIGINAL, Contra Cels. 7, n. 69, Migne, t. 11, Col. 1518.

Sauna. 18 c0 n uta

8 L. 6, v. 589-830; translation of J.-J. CourtTAUD-DIVERNRESSE, t. 2, p. 47-67,

Pompey, ask the famous magician to question hell, to know the fate that fate reserves to his father's cause and weapons. She hastened to remove the corpse of a Roman soldier from the theatre of the last fight. She passes a belt in her throat, and, through the rocks, drags him to the bottom of the cave where she carries out her horrific mysteries.

"Then she sheds a blood full of heat on the chest of the dead, and cleans her intestines and circulates the waves of lunar Pecum. It blends everything nature provides with more violent poisons. He does not miss anything from the dog that has a wave in horror, from the viscera of the lynx, from the nanny thorn of the hyena, from the entrails of the deer that has sprung up with snakes. Join it and remora, which in the open sea holds the ships, while the Eurus swollen the sails; and they will of the dragon, and the sound stone that was.calcinated under the cover of the eagle; and the winged serpent of the Arabs, and, in the Red Sea, the viper keeper of his precious conch; and the envelope that remains, all alive, the cerat of Libya, or the ash of the phenix, which burns itself on the altar among the peoples of the East.

"When she has mixed with vile and too famous poisons, herbs infected with her enchanting blacks, simples on which she blew, at their birth, the gall of her mouth and all the kinds of venom which she herself gave the world, then her voice, more powerful than all the philtrists to evoke the gods of hell, first makes her hear only a confused whisper, and which has nothing of the human voice: it is all together the bark of the dog, the scream of the wolf; it is the grim cry of the owl, the night cry and the complaining owl; it is the roaring of the lion mixed with the owl; it is the roaring of the lion. the sound of the snake; it is the rustling of the stream that breaks against the pit; it is the sluggishness of the forest and the

Sheet

Corre atx walls

The magical processes: the evocations 309.

The thunder of the cloud is breaking. All these diverse sounds are confused into one. But soon his voice makes distinct accents in his magic song, and these words descend to the Tartarian gulf:

"Eugenides, and you, crimes and torments of Tartarus: and you, Chaos, always eager to engulf worlds without number; and you, the monarch of the underworld, torment your immortality forever, Styx, the Elisian fields refused to the Hemonides; and you, who, for the underworld, left heaven and your mother, Proserpine, you, the last emblem of our triple Hecate, by whom I maintain a secret trade with the donkeys; and you, the guardian of the vast empire, who cast our bowels to Cerberus to appease his fury; and you, Parques, who will break once again the thread that I am about to reconnect; and you, the nocher, of the burning Phlegethon, sad old man, weary, no doubt, to iron the shadows that I evoke, all hear my prayer: If I speak to you here with a rather criminal mouth, quite unclean; if I never hear these magical songs, but have not found human fibers; if more than once I present to you the bloody flanks of a mother with her child; if, on the altar, in the basins where they were offered to you, I sprinkled with the waves of a thrilling brain, the head, the dissected flesh of Pinnocent that was about to receive the day, fulfill my vows. We ask not for a shadow long ago locked in the Tartarus and used to your darkness; the one I mention, barely left the kimier: she descended, she did not cross the seil of the pale sojourn. Returned to my charms, she will only see once the Mân empire. Let the shadow of a soldier who once was ours, instruct Pompey's son of his father's purposes, if civil war at any price in your eyes."

"In these words she straightens her head, her mouth foams: she sees standing in front of her eyes the shadow of the corpse lying in the

His feet. This trembling shadow in the sight of these inanimate limbs, which make him abhor, trembles to lock himself in his ancient prison. She is terrified of the idea that we should fit into this open chest, into these viscera, into those fibers that death mutilated. He is taken away from the last blessing of the trepas, the only advantage between all his misery, that of not dying.

"Erichtho is surprised that hell takes so long to obey him. It irritates against death, and a whip of live snakes it hits the still corpse. Through the cracks that open to her charms, she screams at the bottom of the hells and interrupts the silence of the dark empire.

"Tisiphone, and you, Migger, who are very little of my cries, do not hunt, armed with your avenger whips and through the space of the Arab, this rebellious soul! I do not think that I call you under your true names; that, given to the light, to your canine form, I will not delight you with your honors of the Styx! I will pursue you through the brows, through the funeral, constantly looking at you; I will drive you out of the tombs, I will keep you out of all the ballot boxes. And thou, which, to make thyself in heaven, shall clothe every time with false features which are not thy own, Hecate, I will bring thee forth unto the eyes of the gods with thy pale and livid face: I will prevent thee from stripping away the one which thou hast in hell. I will tell the world what bait is holding you in the deep cavities of the earth, you whom Ennea is called; I will say under what laws you have given yourself to the monarch of the dark edges, and that Ceres, after your infamy, would not remember you.

"And you, who, in the division of the world, have nothing but a detestable empire, tremble that I open the infernal vaults, that I bring in the brightness of the sun, that you may not be suddenly struck by the waves of light. Do you obey? Or will I have to call the one whose land is

Never tend to speak the name without shudder; he who looks in front of the Gorgon, who with his whip chastises Erinnys all trembling, who holds his empire in these abyss of the Tartarus where your eye never plunged; he who is for you what you are for humans, who alone can perjure himself by invoking the Styx?"

"She says. Sudden heat penetrates the blood of the corpse; this blood will revive its wounds and circulate in all its veins: under the icy heart, immediately the fiber vibrates its pulses, and life, insinuating in those limbs that have lost its use, mixes with death. Then one sees all the organs stir; the nerves stretch; the corpse does not rise slowly, leaning on its limbs: a leap the earth pushes it back, it is on its feet. His eyes open through the eyelid. He's not yet a living man, he's the image of a dying man. He retains stiffness, paleness in the strokes; he is astonished to find himself in the world. His mouth closed makes no sound: he had no voice, no tongue, but to answer the enchantment.

"Tell me what I command you," she said, "for at this price you can count on a great reward; for if you say the truth, I will not obey the evocations of the Hemonids for ever." I will build your tomb, I will compose your stake in such a way, with the help of my enchantments, that your shadow will be deaf from now on to all the evocations, etc."

"She adds to her prayer a charm that educates shadow of everything she wants to know about her. Sadly, and with eyes bathed in tears, the corpse says: "... Deplorable family! you don't have in all the asylum universe safer than the Pharsal fields." As soon as he has revealed these destinies, he stands still, with a stare fixed and gloomy: he asks for death again.

Penchanteresse must once again have recourse to herbs, to the formulas of his art: he cannot die

Otherwise. Destinies can't do anything about his soul; they've exhausted their rights. Then she assembles many bundles of wood, she builds a stake: the death comes to place himself. When she set fire to it, she moves away and lets him die at last."

VI.—Whatever the procedures are implemented and we will later deer, it is not doubtful that these calls to demons, souls, spirits, cannot lead to sensitive manifestations, and even that, under the evil action, corpses seem to revive, speak, act, and then fall back into the Pimmobility of death. It is an experience, as we have done elsewhere!The observation, following Cardinal Bona and other theologians, that demons use dead bodies in their apparitions to which they seem to return life. Nothing prevents these prestiges from taking place on certain bodies, whose souls evoked seem to regain possession. The identity of these spirits is highly questionable, as we will soon say, but the phenomenon, considered in its external appearances, ñe presents nothing but disenableable, and it is not in the right to reject without distinction all that is said in this regard of the paian superstition.

VII. — And it pleased God that these detestable practices would have ceased with paganism! But, of all the instincts that, misdirected, lead to superstition, that of finding missing beings, and communicating with the invisible world is perhaps the most compelling. At all ages and on all pots of the earth, he betrays himself in one form or another, as a testimony involuntarily-

S i A;

BE AFFECTED Af This EEE ERA) RE TON This 6 PE. RSR Ee— No 47 TON

Magical Processes: Evocations %43

that man gives himself of his immortality.

Görres appreciates this time wisely these crazy attempts to lead to the invisible world. "The three kinds of magic that have passed before our eyes," he said, "concerning the Pevocation of Spirits!", "have, as we can see, a diabolical origin, although they do not want to agree. Coming from hell, they lead, and form the second degree of initiation that introduces Phomme into the mysteries of darkness. A caring and caring power has hidden three things from man in his present state, namely: the depths of nature, the future and the kingdom of spirits. False magic wants to force the entry of the first of these three domains; divination, that of the second; Pevocation of spirits, that of the third... He who, out of curiosity, seeks to relate to the world of spirits, has neither the discipline of the Church nor the law of nature for him; he is wrapped in darkness, without guidance and without compass. The winds that blow around him are raised by powers that come and go according to their pleasure and according to laws that they ignore. Here, all the greatnesses are unknown greatnesses; the same is true of their affinities, so that he has before him an insoluble problem. It is therefore a temerity insignia to venture, without compass or compass, upon this sea sown with pitfalls; and this tyranny, God punisheth her with righteousness by delivering the culprit to the powers to which he has entrusted himself; and of which he becomes a slave, instead of being served by them."

This so-called trade with the good or fallen angels, with the dead, with the beings who were and remain dear, with the great spirits, heroes and illustrious villains, is the

1 The Mystique, I. 6, c. 9, t. 4 p. 147.

the usual and consecrated form of contemporary spiritism. It is called Homer, Plato, Cicero, Parchange Michel, Pange Raphaël, Saint Paul, Saint Augustin, Pascal, Bossuet, Mirabeau, Lammenais, who finally wants to. Parents and children, husbands and friends come to hear from their loved ones. It must also be said that Satan and his angels are more than once directly required and respond to the wishes of the fools who evoke them.

Spiritual manifestations, magnified by writing, are still taking place in this way; but very often they also become more sensitive and translate into words, touchdowns, true apparitions, by all the wonders that are suitable for demons.

We will have to come back to the question of spiritism, and we will then say what we need to think of the various personalities who respond to the evocations.

Chapter XV

The Prodigies of Magic — II. Divination and the Ars Notoria

The Devil exploits human curiosity, — The Concept and Field of Divination. — Well - known art. His various forms: the well-known art strictly said, angelic art, the art of St Paul, the explicit or tacit invocation to the demon to arrive, through his aid, to science. — God alone gives infuse science. — An infuse science of evil provenance is a sign of possession. Example of this kind. — Demons can communicate knowledge, directly by sensitive revelation, indirectly by organic influences. — Blessed Gilles de Vaozel, initiated into science by magic, and to whom, after her conversion, the Blessed Virgin causes the cedule of the cursed pact to recover.

I. — The immoderate desire to know, to know good and evil, led our first parents to listen and follow Satan's perfidious counsel. This temptation is still, of all, the most powerful, the most pressing to bow, to bring man to enter into trade with the devil, the most fruitful also in illusions and disappointments.

The greed to know can go to things that are beyond the human reach and therefore, to ask higher than man, or to a science

: THE MAGIE that human work might be doing, but that is supposed to be given a higher principle. When the invocation and intervention of the demon are the object of the first kind of knowledge, it is the DIVINATION itself; when the object is the second, it is the NOTORY ART. Although in ordinary language these two points of view are included in the general statement of divination, we distinguish them in order to proceed with greater clarity and method.

II.—Divination is the confessed or tacit recourse to the demon to discover secrets naturally unknown to man.

Among these mysteries that come out of the radius of human knowledge, some are within the reach of fallen angels, others remain hidden from them as well as from us.

Demons can know and therefore reveal past and present events accomplished in the world. They can also foresee future events that are related to physical causes of which they know the energy. But future resolutions that depend on free causes, man and above all on God, escape them entirely; all they can, in this regard, be reduced to more or less risky conjectures in which their experience of the past and their plans for the future combine, or to bold affirmations that cost no harm to these disbeliefs and liars. It is necessary to exclude a few cases where God, for providential reasons, makes them supernaturally known and even predict what should happen?*.

1 Suarez, de Relig., Tr. 3.1. 9, 6. 15.n. 3, t. 13, p. 563: Adverto esse discrimen inter manc artem et divinationem...; divinatio est de rebus quae naturaliter cognosci non possunt...; at vero in hac arte magiæ non talis quaritur scientia vel cognitio, sed talis quelis per ordinarium studium vel per infusionem divinam haberi potest.

2 Suarez, de Relig., ibid., ©. 8, u. 7 t. 13, p. 505: Interdum potest dæmon cognoscere voluntatem Dei, ipso revelante, vel in Scripturis quas dæmon

Precisely because it is the reserved and exclusive part of the divinity, demons affect the knowledge of the free future. From there came to this form of superstition, as well as the remark Saint Isidore of Seville, the name DIVINATION, and to those who give themselves to it, the name of Devins. The truth is that the secrets of the future in which the game of freedom is mixed remain unaffordable to demons.

From now on, divination embraces not only this field of the future where demons have ambitious and lying pretensions to penetrate, but all knowledge that naturally escapes man. Whether it is the present, the past or the future, the intimate thoughts and resolutions or external facts, the near or distant, the moment that man ignores and asks for revelation to a higher principle other than God, he commits the sin of divination.

The forms and varieties of divination are innumerable. We reserve the right to list them by describing the various magical processes.

HI. — As for the art purported to know, taken in its generality, it consists in waiting from a cause superior to man for the gift of knowledge.

In this superstition, we must distinguish different modes and degrees.

In the first mode and in the first degree, we would obtain the infusion of science using certain traditional practices and signs. These theories were very popular.

intelligente valet, ut Damasc. tradit 1. 2 of Fide, c. 4; vel ex Dei locuture in aliquo facto particulari, ut in calamitatibus Job illi innotuit quod Deus eas sibi facere permisset neque esset illum: impediturus; qua cognitione potest interdum abuti dæmon ad decipindos homines, ac si ipse sua virtute poset cognoscere futura.

1 Etymolog. 1. 8, ©. 9, n. 14, Migne, t. 82, col. 312: Divini dicti, quasi Deo pleni; divinitate enim is plenos assimilating and astutia quadam fraudu=lenta hominibus futura conjecting.

in the 17th century. The proponents of this ridiculous art assured that Solomon had received universal science by this means, and that he had composed a form of rites to observe in order to achieve this result. This Salomon ritual never existed, and the books that circulated under the title of NoTOIRE Art differ between them and contain only baroque and incomprehensible formulas. Delrio, reproducing Ciruelo, a Spanish author of the 19th century, describes the method commonly followed to arrive at the initiation from the book that was then running.

The aspirant made a general confession of all his faults, often communicated, and, if he were to sin, he confessed the same day. In addition, seven weeks he had to abstain from all the external things; to fasts commanded by the Church, to add others of superrogation, and, each Friday in particular, to be content with bread and water; to recite every day the seven psalms of penance and other prayers. Then, three times during three moons, the first seven days of the new moon, at sunrise, we had to recite other formulas and worship certain figures contained in the sacramental book. Finally, when the neophyte was sufficiently warmed up, he had to choose a day when his devotion was more lively and ardent, and alone, in a church or in some oratory, on his knees, his hands and eyes lifted up in heaven, about three o'clock in the evening, recite the first stanza of the hymn Veni, Sancte Spiritus. After that, he could not fail to feel full of science, as Solomon, the prophets, and the apostles, to the point of no longer recognizing himself.

This was the Noromre Art, and so it is commonly understood by theologians, especially St.Thomas and Suarez.

Another form, called the Spirits' Art or ART ANGt-

Sar

LIQUE, attributes the gift of science to the good spirits, especially to the guardian angel. We have reported above under the name of theurgy or white magic. In this art, communication would take place either by unconscious elevation or by ecstasy, or by an external and sensitive conversation with the spirits!

The art said pe Saint Paus holds much in the first way, for it consisted of being initiated into the deepest secrets by a delight similar to that which carried the apostle to the third heaven?.

It is obvious that all these practices are ridiculous childish practices and that they can have any virtue, if ever, only through demonic intervention. God and his angels do not mingle with the laughable absurdities that lead Solomon to the practice of general confession and frequent communion, the fasting of the Church and to the prose of Pentecost. Whether the expectation is vain or results, it amounts to at least a tacit invocation of the demon, and as such, these practices are still unlawful.

The direct and formal demand which one would make to the demon of science in general or of some particular science, obviously belongs to the same order, as also the tacit or express invocation of a help which would help human work; and it is with good reason that Suarez{ attaches to the well-known art these extranatural means of knowing.

1 Dgcrio, Disg. mag. l. 3, q. 4, sect. 2.

2 DeLrio, Ibid.

3 S. THOMAS, Sum. 2.2, q. 96, a. 1.

4 From Superstit. ©. 15, n. 7 t. 43, p. 565: Addendum his is ad hanc speciem magiæ, quam modo tractamus, non pertinere solum propriom artem notoriam ut a D. Thoma explanation, sed etiam omnem artem addiscendi scientiam ope dæmonis, quocumque modo intendatur. Ut si quis, studendo et faciendo quod in se ad scientiam acquirendam, simul uteretur vanis observantiis quibus speraret vel vim memoriæ acquirrere, vel fabilitatem et acumen ingenii, vel organa sensuum melius disp`sita, vel similia quae vir-

a? MS Son

IV. — Is it true that science can come from demons in any way that is coveted and hoped to receive it?

We have to get along.

The direct communication of science can be done by infusion or revelation.

In infusion, the mind is suddenly illuminated and receives without effort the motions of things, in the same way as the gifts of grace.

It is certain that the demon is powerless to give no knowledge by this way, and that it is for God alone, as St.Thomas teaches, to reach the soul in these depths and in this way. Asking Satan for infuse science, openly or by any sign, is therefore pure ineptitude. This is no less a serious sin, because of the trade at least tacit that this understanding implies with the demon?.

V.—In cases where suddenness and the extent of knowledge would take on obvious characteristics of infuse science, it should lead to suspicion of Satan's action and personal staging, which make possession.

tute naturali talium observantiarum proui non possunt..., sine dubio hoc genus superstitionis committeret. It is an item that vellest a dæmone edoceri, eo modo quo docetur ab homine loquente, sive intendant ut dæmon sibi loquatur ad aures corporis in corpore visibili assumepto, sive solum in imaginatione formando eadem verba, quod etiam facere potest. Quacunque enim ratione ineatur societas cum dæmone, etiamsi nihil petatur expresse vel tacit quod virtutem ejus naturalem superet, superstitiosum est, and ad manc partem artis magicæ pertinet.

1 Sum. 2.2, q. 96, a. 4: Certum is autem aliquos a Deo sapientiam et scientiam per infusionem habuisse, sicut de Salomone legitur... Ad dæmones autem non pertinet illuminare intellectum. Acquisitioautem scientiae and sapientiae did per illuminationem intellectus, and ideo nullus unquam per dæmones scientiam acquired.

2 CAJETAN, In Sum. V Superstit. Hæc superstitio est peccatum mortal propter initam societatem cum dæmone, de cujus institutione haec servantur, et inutiliter, quia daemonum non est infundere scientiam animabus nostris.

Hue:

Here is a unique example, from which we borrow the account from the principal historian of St John of the Cross!.

"In a monastery in Avila, a young person had been given the holy garment, who, at the age of six, had seen the demon appear in a human form, and who, seduced by his apparent beauty, had given him all his affections. She naturally had a great penetration of mind, a spiritual and engaging conversation. With his violent inclination for him, the demon offered him to make her more learned and more skilled than even the most eminent men, provided that he undertook in writing, by signing his promise of blood, to never have any other husband but him. The poor child, with the help of the demon, so cleverly plucked her arm that, without feeling any pain, she shed enough blood to write the pledge that was asked of her, and, after having written and signed it with her hand, she had the imprudence to deliver it to her eternal enemy. This contract ended and hell became the owner of this unfortunate soul, and in itself there was such a revolution, that it came to pursue God with deep hatred and longing to see him abhor him all, so that he could offer his new fiancé this proof of love.

"A grown-up, either that she could find in her family no way to embrace another state, or that the demon wanted to use her to lose souls, she entered a convent, where the bright hopes given by all her kind of talents made her welcome with great joy. The devil had indeed kept his word and fulfilled his promise. She spoke all the languages, she had all the fine arts, she played so easily.

1 P. -Josepn, Abstract of Life of B. Father Saint John of the Cross, ch. 9, p., 99-105.

In the subtleties of theology, that his science was considered to be infuse. But, as always, what is singular attracts the eyes, and what is extraordinary gives rise to suspicions: the superiors of his order conceived worries and resolved to examine more closely this soul which made universal admiration.

"After consulting with a few learned and serious men, who did not attach great importance to it and did not follow it up, they heard about our blessed Father and the discernment of the spirits that God had given him; then they asked him to take care of the religious in question himself. He began by apologizing; then, defeated by the most pressing instances, he ended up surrendering to their desires. After having come to light with them, he prepared himself for it by his usual weapons, I mean the prayer, penance, the living faith in Our Lord and a profound distrust of himself, Arrived to the parlor of the convent, hardly was he in the presence of the nun, that this woman with such profound science and with such easy speech, not only kept an absolute silence and became mute, but also began to tremble when she saw her discovered impostures.

"The Blessed Father, enlightened by the lights from above that were always present, recognized these symptoms as the cause of this sad state, and told the superiors that this nun was deceived by the demon and that it was necessary to exorcise him several times, because he had acquired over her, by a long possession, an extremely tenacious power and difficult to overcome; but the superiors begged him, since he had discovered evil, to willingly apply the remedy there. What decided it was less their instances than their charity and the peril of the soul.

"From the first exorcism, the event was right for the

THE PRODIGES: DIVINATION AND NOTORY ART 393 Father. The demon deprived this nun of the use of the senses, and he himself, a demon speaking as he was, became a mute demon. At the second session, the tongue was deliated and the demon was forced, despite him, to reveal first how long he had possessed this soul, the evil he had done to him and the motives he had had to deceive her; then, the number of demons that currently possessed it...

"Returning to herself and being unable to doubt that the Blessed Father knew everything, possessed her, who was deprived of the use of her senses only during the exorcisms, explained in detail the deplorable state of her soul... However, the saint imposed his will on demons with such irresistible authority that, despite their efforts to refuse his orders, he forced them not only to confess that their prince had sent them with the formal order to throw this soul into despair, but also to leave his body, to leave it free and to return to him the written commitment that she had given them. In spite of them they obeyed all that he required, and before the whole community the enemy threw away the paper which the Father took and gave up to fire. It was the deliverance of the nun who, in her soul and in her body, was restored to full freedom."

VI. — If the inner infusion of science surpasses the virtue of demons, the same is not true of sensitive revelation. By speaking to their followers, as man speaks to man, they can teach them many things; St.Thomas! agrees, though he does not bring back these kinds of communication to the well-known art. Suarez?, which brings back to the same genre all these superstitious and magical ways of reaching human science, understands it

1 Sum. 2.9, q. 96, to. 4: Possent tamen dæmones, hominibus colloquientes/, verbis expresse aliqua scientiarum documenta; sed hoc non quaritur per artem notoriam,

2 From Superst. €. 15.n. 7, t.13, p. 565, (See above, p. 319, note 4.)

Imaginary revelations, which, as we have said in his place, do not surpass the evil power. But this influence on the imagination is not due to direct action on the soul, it is the backlash of the action exerted on the organism, whose excitements have the effect of putting into play the sensitive images of the mind?.

Through this path of the body, which is the soul's instrument for the exercise of thought, the demon can accelerate or delay intellectual development. The activity of the mind determines in the brain a proportional excitation, and similarly, the brain excitation is active to the same extent, albeit often disorderly, the work of the mind. Through physical action on the brain, the demon can produce a momentary upsurge of vitality and movement, resulting, in the same proportion to the mind, in extraordinary facilities to apply, see, understand, to remember: the science thus acquired will be the work, indirect if it wants, but true of the demon.

The meeting of these means, namely: apart from the sensitive revelation, and in the subject organic excitations, without difficulty explain all the facts of magic science. On

Part Two, t. 2, ch. 41, p. 207, c. 15, p. 304. — Part 3, Cho pe 16A:

2 GASPARD SCHOTT, Phys. curiosa, 1.1, c. 32, p. 113, 114: Quoad memoriam potest eam juvare duobus præcipue modis. First, adaptando ejus organum, ut fabilius recipiat and firmius retinaat species rerum; quod facere potest motu locali repellendo noxia and applicando juvantia. Eodem modo potest etiam tollre penitus aut debilitare memoriam... Quoad intellectum, potest illum reddere subtiliorem et meliorem ad functionses suas peragendas, per commodiores organi dispositiones, repellendo vidalicet motu locali humores ac vapores crassiores, et spiritus adhibitis medicamentis naturalibus purgando... Quoad artes ac scientias, potest illas, ac solet, si Deus permittat, tribere; primo quidem locutione ac manifestatione externa, quando in forma visibilité appartet...; secundo, interna locutione ac suggestione, etc.

© Ur n E CR

. wonders: divination and well-known art 393.

Many of them are quoted on the authenticity of which we do not have to pronounce ourselves; it is enough for us to have demonstrated the possibility. However, we will report the following trait, where the demon's contribution seems to be combined with the work of man.

VII. — Blessed Gilles de Vaozel, who was to illustrate by his penance and by his ardent devotion to the mother of God the order of St.Dominic, had been cast into his youth, through the disorderly love of science, into the abominable excesses of magic, and here is how. He left Coimbra to study science, particularly medicine, at the University of Paris, and met a strange traveller on his way, who, after having informed himself of his plan, advised him to go through Toledo, where, better than in Paris, his hunger for knowledge would be satisfied. There he would be taught secrets that scare the weak spirits, and with the help of them he would perform as many healings and wonders as he would like. The young man understood everything: he was a demon who invited him to be introduced to the mysteries of magic. After some hesitation, the desire for reputation and science took hold in his soul. So he came to Toledo to solicit these wonderful, but secret criminals. He was initiated, after having signed with his blood the promise that he would recover, in seven years, at the master's discretion; for his part, he received the assurance that he would surpass the most skilled in his art. Proud of this hope, he's in a position to-

1 RESENT ANDRE, BB. 44 Mayi, t. 16, p. 404 and 405, n. 2-6: Igitur cum ex studiis famæ dulcedinem, quam jam gustaverat, adamasset, decrevit ad celebrem Parisiorum Academiam proficisci, ut illinc et litteris eruditior, et experientia plenior peritiorque in patriarch rediret... Non longe esse urbem Toletum, in qua illis artibus possesse erudiri... Toletum deflexit, seque magistris impiæ ac nequissimæ disciplinæ...: horrendo nefarioque sacramento addixit, seseque in animae exitium devovit, chirographo sua manu de sanguine suo facto in testimonium illis dato... Omnes tam doctos quam indoctos in sui admirationem attraxit... Ecce autem chirographum infericis pacti ante altaris Virginis appeared.

He followed his journey to Paris, where he, in fact, amazed the scholars themselves by the wonders he displayed in their eyes.

Our Lord, who had plans of mercy upon this astray, in turn multiplied the miracles to take him away from evil and damnation. With grace, Gilles changed his entire life and was admitted to the family of Saint-Dominique on his behalf. But, after his conversion, a thought dismayed him; it was to know in Satan's hands the ungodly act that he had signed with his blood. He used the Most Holy Virgin to return this cedule to him, and the mother of God granted him, as to Theophilus the Penitent, this miraculous consolation.

Chapter XVI

The Prodigies of Magic — III. Maleficia

The Distinguished Maleficent of Charm. — His Efficient Cause. — The Reality of These Pernicious Influences. — The Maleficents that Affect External Goods and Health. — Those that Reach the Spouses. — The Impure Maleficious. — The Envoyment, — The Bestial Transformations. Pagan Mythology. — The facts of passive metamorphosis: Nebuchadnezzar, and a sick woman healed by Saint Macaire. — Testimony and Theology of St Augustine on this subject. — Active transvestances practiced by magicians. — Explanation of the so-called bestial metamorphoses. — Vampires. — Supernatural, natural and superstitious remedies against evils.

I. — Satan's natural tendency is to evil, and the predominant character of the virtue which he imparts to his followers is to do evil; even when he seems to serve, he acts only to lose, where the effects which emanate from his power came to be, the common name of evil.

However, by its etymology and its immediate acceptance, this word expresses an external and sensitive damage due to a positive intervention of the demon and generally determined by a sacramental sign which is the work of a

of its agents. This sign and this damage bear the names of MALEFICE and CHARME indifferently, although CHARME better designates the sacramental sign, and the mazerice the resulting effect. In any case, we defer the study of charms to the place where we will deal with the processes of magic, and we are currently examining only the evil determined by these evil sacraments.

II. — Before describing the various forms of these malignant influences, let us assign the ordinary cause that produces them. They are obviously the work of demons, when the authors of the evil act from a distance, for real action presupposes presence: then the evil spirits carry out, by virtue of a pact or by pure natural tendency, the wills and wishes of their agents. They still have to be blamed for internal diseases and injuries, rapid and distant translation, and, in general, all the effects that exceed human power, such as storms, hail, atmospheric upheavals.

But many of these facts can be produced immediately by the magicians themselves, especially when they show fear that to be seen, for it is not doubtful that the demon, by its prestige, sometimes makes them invisible, either by modifying, by direct action on the sense of sight, the act of vision, or by interposing an environment that prevents it. It can also transport them with great speed from one place to another, introduce them into enclosed and closed places, not by making them pass through locks, as claimed by the vulgar, but by opening without noise and quickly the doors, widening the openings and then restoring everything to its first state.

This is the general solution which explains most of the

1 Suarez, from Superst. ©, 16, n. 8, t. 13, p. 576. ( See above, p. 495, note 1.)

Some, however, require special explanations that we will attach to the very facts.

UT.—It is only too certain that Satan's followers exercise pernicious influence on those who become the object of their hatred, or even without any other reason than to satisfy the instinct that causes them to harm!, and demons respond to the wishes of their malignity, they are waiting, so to speak, for this call to multiply the desolation and ruins around them. The Church expressly indicates this in her prayers and instructions, and opposes these evil attacks with blessings that conjure them?. All the peoples, moreover, believed in these pernicious spells, and they feared the power of them all the more, as they were given more to superstition. The general belief is strongly summarized in this Chaldean conjuration formula*:

"At the four cardinal points, the immensity of their invasion burns like fire. They violently attack man's homes. In the city and in the country they wilt everything. They oppress the free man and the slave.

1 Suarez, from Superst. ©. 16, n. 22, p. 582: Longe certius is... maleficiorum performed esse plus quam veros, ut sic dicam; est enim magis proprieum dæmonis nocere quam benefacere; imo nunquam benefacit, nisi ut occasionem nocendi captet; and ideo frequentius in effectibus maleficiorum veritas invenitur quam in aliis; and propter manc causam tam severe prohibetur haec ars maleficiorum, and ipsa maleficia punitur, ut supra ex jure canonico et civili allegatum est, quia revera nocent valde, et non apparenter tantum, and ita ultra religionis perniciem etiam contra justitam sunt valde nociva reipublicæ.

2 Riruez Romain, de Benedictionibus, passim. Especially the blessing of water: Effugiat atque discedat a loco, in quo aspersum fuerit, omnis phantasia, et nequitia, vel versutia diabolicæ fraudis, omnisque spiritus immundus... Omnis infestatio immundi spiritus abigatur, terrorque venenosi serpentis procul pellatur. — For the blessing of candles: Ut quibuscunque locis accensæ vel positæ fuerint, discedant principles tenebrarum, and countermiscant, and fugitive pavidi cum omnibus ministryris am ab habitationibus illis, nec præsumant amplius worried aut molestare serientes tibi, omnipotenti Deo.

3 Magic among the Chaldeans, by Fr. LENORMAND, Ch. 1, p. 28.

At NT f This Ne £

They rain like hail in heaven and on earth... They, the products of hell, above they carry trouble, below they carry confusion... From house to house they enter; into the gates, like serpents, they slip. [They prevent the bride from being fertilized by the man; they bring the free woman out of the house where she was born. They are the voice that shouts and chases man."

IV. — We have already observed that possessions and obsessions can come from this cause; we will point out the other main evils that reach man in his external possessions, in his health and life, in the freedom of his members and in the use of his reason.

The less cruel and ordinary have the effect of damaging or destroying the things that are man's property and are used for its use: harvests, houses, furniture, cattle, domestic animals; or to upset the operations of labor and the play of instruments, to create external obstacles, often invisible, that geneate, stop, disconcert, irritate. The malaise of the lock or ankle, which stopped the horses and couplings on the spot, was once quite common.

Saint Charles Borromée!, whom one will not accuse of having had a weak or light mind, made legally, in the Swiss valley called Mesolcine, the existence and the harms

1 Giussano, Life of S. Charles B., 1. 7 p. 582: There is an infinity of witches and witches, who by their enchanting and evil evil evils do strange evils, and they bring furious diseases, and often die to beasts and men, so that sometimes people and whole flocks of beasts may run furiously on the top of the mountains to rush down, which puts this poor pagan in a desolation all the greater as no remedy is available,

MAGIC PRODUCTS: THE WRITINGS 331 of a band of witches and witches who, by their evil deeds, spread desolation.

The fates that man fears above all are those that directly attack his health and life, bind the movement of his organs, subject him to a capricious and elusive tyranny. A sudden and unknown evil is thrown upon one who tortures him, undermines his strength and sometimes leads him to the tomb; in the other, one prevents the use of the word, of someone of his senses or of his limbs; to this one the food which he absorbs or wants to take, where one mixes dangerous, bitter, disgusting ingredients; to this one, one removes or transforms in his hands the objects which he thinks he seizes.

V. — Among the evils cast upon man, one of the most feared in the past was the one that struck the spouses, especially the newlyweds, with help. Well known from pagan antiquity, this strange ligature has become a theme of indecency mockery for modern unbelief. Montaigne?, Bayleÿ, the libertines of the past century, and today unbelievers and believers * have relegated him to the lubies of imagination.

This evil can certainly come from an imaginary fear, from a subjective impression that nothing outside

1 Fr Lenormand, The Magic of the Chaldeans, ch. 1, p. 29. — HiroDoTE, Hist, 1. 2 ad fin. p. 101. — VirGiLe, Eglog, 8. — Ovine, Am. l. 3, ch. 7. $7.

2 Tests, 1.1.ch. 20 tEh p.81

3 Responses to the questions of a provincial, 17th P., c. 34, t. 3 p. 561.

4 GôrRes, Mystique, 1.8, ch. 33, t. 5, p. 366: On the one hand, it is certain that all forms and operations of this kind are powerless on a healthy and intact nature. On the other hand, one cannot accuse an entire era of being credulous and superstitious enough to use his whole mind to invent and perfect so many different methods, if they had not produced any result; or to be sufficiently meticulous and fearful to fill the courts with his complaints, if they had not had any reason. It must therefore be assumed that the evil had taken an epidemic character at that time (xve century).

and, in general, it must be regarded as such, unless there is evidence to the contrary. But even assuming that he resides in imagination, he can be the work of the demon acting at the call of one of his agents.

Whether the Church starts from the imagination or immediately reaches the organs, it has always taken it seriously. She has authorized and offered prayers to lift this kind of evil!; she has decreed excommunication against those who would throw it on the spouses?; finally she places it, when it is persistent, among the causes that dissolve the marriage not yet consummated. How to admit that the Church has despised one fact, after all

À SACERDOTALE AD S. A. ECCL. CONSUTUDINEM, Venice, 4587. Oratio pro impeditis in matrimonio a dæmone vel maleficiis: Digneris hos famulos tuos liberare ab omni ligamento, fascinamento et maleficio Satanæ..., ut libere possint uti matrimonio suo ad generandum, etc.

2 Tars, Superstitions, 1. 10, ch. 7 p. 321: Those who put this evil into use are excommunicated by an infinity of ecclesiastical regulations, and above all by the synodal statutes of Eudes de Sulli, bishop of Paris, died in 1208; by the ordinances of Richard Poore, bishop of Sarisbéri, of about Pan 1217; by the synodal statutes of Pierre de Colmieu, archbishop of Rouen, in 1245, and by those of Miles de Tailli, bishop of Orléans; in 1314 by those of Siffride de Wersterbourg, archbishop of Cologne, who died in 1299; by those of the diocese of Troyes, in 1529; by those of the metropolitan and primatial church of Lyon, in 1566 (and in 1566) (and by those of the diocese of Troyes). 1577...) Those who use this malefice are still excommunicated by the Gallican Church assembled in Melun in 1579...; by the Ecclesiastical Orders and Synodal Statutes of the Diocese of Bourges in 1608...; by the Provincial Council of Narbonne in 1609; by the Synod of Ferrara in 1612; by the Synodal Statutes of the Diocese of Saint-Malo in 1620...; by the Council of Mont-Cassin in 1626; by the Synodal Statutes of the Diocese of Orléans in 1664, and by the Synodal Orders of the Diocese of Grenoble in 1690... The Rituals of the dioceses, in accordance with this regulation, also excommunicate all those who mingle to tie the needle to the newlyweds, or to make them some other malice. This is what the Rituals of Autun say..., of Périgueux..., of Chartres..., of Evreux..., of Paris, of Bologna, of Châlons sur-Marne, of Troyes, of Bourges, of Beauvais... The other Rituals do not speak otherwise in their admonitions.

3 Corpus Juris Can. Cap. ult. de Frigidis et maleficiis. S. LIGUORI, Theol. mor. l. 6, n. 1096, t. 7 p. 58. — Bouvier, Diss. in 6 Decal. p. 129-141.

Bees

of serious importance, until to legislate for centuries in a vacuum?

The theologians and the canonists are unanimous on this point, and there would therefore be a lack of courage to contradict them. Before we get to that point, we should at least make a few arguments that conclude that the fact is absolutely or morally impossibility. Far from these reasons, the material possibility? and the likelihood of such intervention on the part of the demon are obvious, which exempts us from insisting on such a scabrous subject.

VI. — By another evil in the opposite direction, Satan lights in the heart and limbs the fire of fleshly lusts. The nature of this side is powerful enough to make it superfluous, in most cases, to seek other reasons for excesses, even fury that push for voluptuousness. In some encounters, however, evil intervention becomes so obvious that it cannot be reasonably challenged. And what is surprising, moreover, that the evil spirit takes advantage of all the pretexts and opportunities to ignite and activate the tyrannical passion to which man resists with so much pain?

The ancient authors speak or mention in cents in

1 Lequeux, Dismiss. 3a de Officiis castit. in specie, n. 19, p. 22: Theological omnes and canonum interprets admitttunt per maleficia homines reddi possess impotent. Id assumes cap. So per sortarias, 4, xxx, Q. 1. Nec id negari possess absque temeritate.

2 Suarez, from Superstit. v. 16, n. 22, t. 13, p. 582: Solum his observo, cum dicimus hunc performem esse verum, non semper intelligi quantum ad intrinsecam impotentiam, sed solum quoad actum ipsum, qui semper impeditur, sive id contingat propter impedimentum per se, ut ita dicam, id est propter infragidationem, desiccationem, vel aliud simile per quod ipsa virtus generandi intrinsece debilitatur, sive per obstaculum aliud interpositum, etiamsi virtus integra sit; utroque enim modo accedere potest... Sufficit ut performed ipse revera fiat virtute dæmonis, quacunque ratione fiat.

3 See. BizouarD, Man's Rapp. with the demon. 15, ch. 4, t. 3 p. 384.

rights of philtars or erotic charms. Lucain £ and Apulée?, among others, report them when they list the perfidious enchantments of the Thessalian magic; Ovid*, the classical singer of voluptuousness, also mentions and resents these heinous secrets; less severe, Théocrite‘ stages a magician who recalls by her incantations her unfaithful lover.

Christian doctors, sometimes tell of such facts as they witnessed, sometimes affirm as unquestionable and the possibility and realization of this evil, of all the most formidable because of the dangers that he causes to be put to shame. Without dwelling on citing examples that are found in large numbers in the collections of demonologists and in the acts of the saints, ordinary healers of evil importunities, let us summarily indicate the circumstances that make it possible to recognize the action of the demon in these despotic attractions and detestable ardours.

If they declare themselves as soon as a charm that does not exert any physical and natural contact has been laid, especially if the person affected has ignored the Islands of which they were the object and the means used to seduce them, there is reason to believe in a malice. The evidence is even greater when the victim is suddenly transported with passion, until the forgetfulness of any indecentness, for a person

1 Pharsal. 6, v. 52-60, p. 36: Carmine Thessalidum dura in præcordia fluxit Non fatis adductus amor; Pant severi Illicitis arere sene.. + Quos non éantotdis PIG Alligat ulla tori ı blandæque potentia formæ, Traxerunt tori magica vertigine fili.

- What? Metamorph. 1. 3, t. 1, p. 195, * De Arte amandi, l. 9, v. 105-107:

Nec data profuerint pallentia philtra puellis. Philtra nocent animis, vimque furoris inhabient.

4 Idyll. 2, entitled: Pappaxevrpra, i.e. the poisoner or magician,

Magical y prodore: the evils are

at she would have disdained until then or whose desires she would not even have suspected.

We would also hold to demonstrate the evil intervention that a holy thaumaturge would reveal and heal, as we see examples in the life of many servants of God, of Saint Hilarion+, for example, to name but one.

The demon knows enough the mechanism of the human body, if one can speak of it, to lift up the impetuous movements of passions, and, by influencing the mind, to concentrate these impressions on a particular figure. As for the relationship between the outer sign and the intimate disturbance of the senses, it is a pure effect of the magical conventions whereby Satan makes himself, in order to do wrong, at the mercy of his agents, as we will more fully say when we deal with charms.

VII. — Astonishingly as the evils we have just spoken of seem, this is even more extraordinary. For us, the whole question is whether they are true or only possible, and, assuming them, explain how they can be accomplished. This is especially the second point of view that concerns us.

Among these incredible phenomena, one must place Penvoütement?, This magical operation consists of directing on an external effigy, a mannequin, a figure of wax or any other matter, a painting, an image appearing in a liquid or any reflector, strokes or curses that pass on to the person whom one wants to achieve.

All magic rituals signal this malice and it can be found in all peoples and at all ages. "The spell seems to have been the most black magic operations

1 S. Jerome, Vita S. Hilarion, n. 21, Migne, t. 23, collar, 38. 2 From the lower Latin invultuaure, vultum fingere, make a model.

: THE MAGIE frequently practiced in Chaldea, says M. Fr. Lenormand! Magical documents allude to it many times. This is all the more curious because, according to the Arab writer Ibn-Khaldoun?, who lived in the 19th century C.E., this practice was still in great use among the Nabatian sorcerers of the lower Euphrates, heirs to many of the more or less corrupt traditions of the ancient inhabitants, and speaks of it as an eyewitness."

Ovide, Horace, and in general all the ancient authorsÿ who had the opportunity to mention superstitious malices, report this one. "By speaking some verses, the Thracians, according to historians, shoved a tison into their enemy's eye without touching it, a curious example of remote wounds. All historians report that the magicians of Thessaly... caused impotence and slow death by means of wax images to the effigy of those whom they wanted to mislead and which they punctured with needlesst." In the Christian centuries, neither the

1 Magic among the Chaldeans, ch. 1, p. 57.

2 Ibn-Khaldoun Prolegomenes, Slave Trad., t. 1, p. 177: We saw, with our own eyes, one of these individuals making the image of a person he wanted to bewitch... The magician then utters a few words about the image he has just posed before him, which offers the real or symbolic representation of the person whom he wants to bewitch; then he blows and throws out of his mouth a portion of saliva which was gathered there, and makes vibrate at the same time the organs which serve to state the letters of this evil formula... The result is that the magician brings down the evil he wants on his victim.

3 Heroid. Ep. 6, Hypsipyl, v. 91 and 92:

Absent devovet simulacraque cerea figit, And miserum held in jecur urget acus.

4 Satir. 1, 1, sat. 8, v. 30-34:

Lanea and effigies erat, altera cerea; Major Lanea, quaenis compesceret inferiorem; Cerea, quae supplicater Stabat, serlibus ut quae Jam peritura modis.

5 See DELrlo, Disquis mag., 1. 3 p. 1, q. 3, S. 4, p.38. 6 BizouarD, Man's Relationship with the Devil, I. 4, ch. 6, t. 4, p. 130.

belief and practice were interrupted, from Tertullian! to jurisconsults and theologians of the Middle Ages. "Byzantine history," says Görres ê, whose erudition is as accurate as his theology is adventurous, "provides us with a large number of such facts, as well as the history of France, especially in the era of religious wars. The exorcists bring us a great many; but most of these facts are such that it is difficult to sit on them a perfectly sure judgment."

These kinds of facts are supposed to be interpreted. The only acceptable explanation is that demons execute on the person the purposes of the enemy who strikes his image. According to Görres*, "the images used in these circumstances serve as a mirror that concentrates the criminal action of magicians and sorcerers, as a home, and directs it towards those they want to reach; they are like a device where demonic influences are gathered, roughly as the magnetic pack concentrates and propagates magnetic influences." This interpretation, in our view, is meaningless, if it does not mean that the demon becomes the executor of man's homicidal or evil thoughts.

VII. — Finally, here is the wonder that surpasses them all, certainly the least credible, namely: the diabolical metamorphoses, the change from man to tree, to stone, to beast above all. When the metamorphosis leads to the shape of the wolf, the individuals so transformed are said to run the werewolf and called garous or wolves-

1 De Spectac., ©. 2, p. 90. — De Resurrect. carnis, ©. 16, p. 389.

2 DELRIO, Disquite, magic, 1. 3, LP, q. 4; $4, p. 70: Agnovere Hujusmodi imaginative and jurisconsulti and theologist. — See. ALra, pe Castro, de Just. heretic. punishment, l. 4, c. 15, Col. 1137,

3 Mystique, 1.8, ch. 36, t. 5, p, 403, at Id., ibid.; I 29

I've got a lot to do with it. This transformation is known as the most ordinary in the legends of witchcraft, the demo-

niac that results in metamorphosis is often designated

under the generic name of lymphanthropy.

Does the power of the demon go so far as to turn men into beasts or to allow them to transvestinate in this way at their own discretion? The popular superstition affirms it and it dates from afar, because this belief alone makes the background of ancient mythology: Io or Isis is metamorphosed into cow, Argus in peacock, Wolf Lycaon, Bear Arcas, Galanthis in weasel, Pleiades in stars, Daphne, Phaeton, Lotis, Philemon in trees, nymph Cyane in fountain, Rock Lychas, Touchstone Battus, Diamond Celma, etc. The theme of the Golden Ane d'Apulée is the magical transformations that this author would have undergone; the Ovid's Meramorposes are only a charming series of these childish imaginations, and, to go back to Homer?, we know how Circée changed Ulysses' companions into those for them. But these are fables or allegories, not facts.

IX. — Is there any of these facts?

Most popular narratives are pure legends imagined and amplified to pleasure, or hallucinations born of fear. However, some have more serious guarantees and appear to be resisting the severity of criticism. To reject them all indifferently and absolutely, to not have to explain them, would be a false evolution unworthy of the historian and the theologian.

First of all, let's distinguish two kinds of metamorphoses:

t The word garou is of Teutonic origin and seems to have as etymology the two words because, all in fail, and ULF, wolf. , Dict. au mot carou. And that's where the word from the lower Latin Gerulphus came from. Cf. Cance, Glossarium.

- What? Odyssey, 1. 10, v. 38-40.

those whose agents of the devil use for themselves and those whom they inflict on others. The latter belong directly to the subject we deal with; the others, however, also affect it, because the ordinary purpose of these transvestances is to misrepresent; the connection, moreover, from the two points of view does not allow to separate them.

Let us first look at the evil, which is itself, which robs man of his form and turns him into a beast.

The Scripture contains an example that cannot be revoked in doubt and can provide insight into facts and accounts of the same nature. Nebuchadnezzar! had a mysterious dream that, in punishment for his pride, was an unheard of humiliation. As the warning was not effective, this is how the prophecy came to pass. One day this beautiful king was walking on a terrace of his palace, from where his gaze lay on the capital of his empire: "Isn't this," he said to himself, "the great Babylon that I have built to be the royal dwelling place, and who will testify and my power and my glory?" Immediately a voice sounded from the sky: "King Nebuchadnezzar, know that your power passes into other hands. You shall be driven out of the society of men, and dwell with the beasts of the field; you shall eat grass like oxen, and seven times, that is, seven years, shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rule over the kingdoms of men, and give them to whom he pleases." At the very moment the sentence was fulfilled, Nebuchadnezzar was driven out from among men and he was seen eating grass like an ox. He lived for seven years in the fields,

1 Daniel 1v, 27-30: Eadem hora sermo completus is super Nabuchodonosor, and ex hominibus abjectus is, and fenum ut bos comedit, and rore coeli corpus ejus infectum est, donec capilli ejus in similitudinem aquilarum crescerent, and ungues ejus quasi avium.

Year to year) to be rene rer e n e n gs te

at the dew of the sky, so that his hair would grow like the

feathers of the eagle, and its nails like the claws of birds. After that time, the king of Babylon found himself, lifted up his eyes to heaven, made glory to God, and the empire was restored to him.

The life of Saint Macaire! of Egypt presents the very curious case of a woman whom the evil prestiges made appear changed into mare. The saint brought down this charm and desiccated the eyes of the spectators.

X. — We still need to hear St. Augustine's speech.

This question is expressly raised in his Ciné pe God, of

all the works from his most worked and matured pen.

The holy doctor has just spoken of pagan traditions on the metamorphoses of men into beasts. "But," he adds, "on these perfidious demon games, my readers may be waiting for my feeling... Will I say that we have to re-

To believe in these wonders? But even today, witnesses will not fail to say that

1 PALLADE, BB., 15 Jan., t. 2, p. 294, n. 5 and 6: Ægyptius quidam libidinosus, Captus amore cujusdam mulieris ingenuæ, quae viro nupserat, cum non possesse eam inescare propter pudicitiam and castitatem erga conjugem virginitatis, convenit improbus præstigiatorem, dicens: Aut eam incita ut amet me, aut arte tua eflice ut ejus maritus eam limittat. Cum ergo præstigiator satis ab eo accepisset, usus est suis præstigiis et incantationibus; and cum non possesset ejus animum movere ut ei astiretur, efficit ut viergetur equa iis qui eam intuebantur. Cum ergo foris venisset ejus maritus, aspexit uxorem suam in forma equæ... Magis angebatur animo cum intelligeret eam esse suam uxorem, curiosis autem hominum artibus esse mutatam in equam... Tandem, ut Deus glorifiercaretur et vietteretur virtus S. Macarii, ascendit in cor mariti ejus ducere eam in solitudinem ad sanctum virum; and cum cam capistro ligasset ut equim, duxit in solitudinem... Responded to S. Macarius fratuits qui ei renuntiaverunt quemdam illuc equum adduxisse, dicens: Equi vos estis, qui habetis equorum oculos; illa enim est femina, ita ut est creata, non transformata, sed sic solum appartens oculis eorum qui sunt decepti. Quæ cum essay adducta, aquamque bendixisset..., effecit ut omnibus emptytibus emptyretur femina.

2 Civit, Dei, 1.18, c. 18, L.A.T. MOREAU, t. 3 p. 103.

Magic.

There is a PAM RAN dre are x 5 se- : The 341 similar events struck their eyes or ears. Did we not ourselves, during our stay in Italy, hear that in some parts of this country, women, hoteliers who were introduced to sacrilegious practices, were recognisable in a cheese offered to such travelers that it was possible or possible, the secret of turning them suddenly into beasts of sum which they loaded with their luggage. This task was accomplished, they returned to their nature, and yet this metamorphosis did not extend to their mind, they kept the reason of homin; as Apulée tells of himself in the account or fiction of Ane d'Or, when a poisoned drink made him become donkey leaving him reason. Lies that all this, or phenomena so rare, that it is reasonable not to add faith. What we must believe is that God, by his almighty power, can do whatever he wants to satisfy his righteousness and mercy, and that demons, these angelic creatures, but perverted by their own will, act, in the spring of their natural power, only according to the permission of him whose judgments are hidden and never unjust. No doubt that by unfolding these prestiges, demons do not create new natures, but they change so much in their appearances those that the true God created, that they seem to be what they are not.

"Thus, I will never grant to the demons, whatever their artifice or power, to be able to change the soul, what I say, the very body of man, to the body, to the real forms of the brute: what I believe, is that the human imagination, changing according to the infinite multitude of objects suggested by thought or sleep, and, although intangible, folding with wonderful speed to reproduce the resemblance of the bodies, a fantastic certdinous image of Phomme can, by virtue of

drowsiness or lethargy, arrive, — how? I do not know, — under a bodily appearance, until our sensitive perception; while the very body of man may lie elsewhere, perhaps living, but in a deeper fainting than that of sleep. Thus, this fantastic image of man would appear in our senses incorporated into some brute figure, and in this state as in the illusion of a dream, man himself might think himself as it appears and imagine that he bears burdens. Are these burdens real?It is then the demons who carry them to abuse men, whose vision is divided between a real burden and an imaginary brute. One Præstantius said that his father, having by chance tasted this poisoned cheese in his house, had remained on his bed as asleep, but without it being possible to awaken. He returned to himself a few days later, and told like a dream what had happened to him: he had become a horse and had, in the company of other beasts of sum, carried to the soldiers of the food (retica), which he enveloped in nets. The fact had happened as he said, and this fact seemed to him to be just a dream...

"These facts have come to us, not on the attestation of any people to whom it seems unworthy to us to add faith, but of men whom we consider incapable of misleading. Thus, what tradition or literary monuments tell us about the prestiges of the gods or rather of demons, of these usual metamorphoses of Arcadians into wolves and of these enchantments of Circé, which transformed the companions of Ulysses, all this could be done in the way I have just said, if however this happened."

XI. — The facts previously alleged concern only passive metamorphoses carried out by demons on those they want to molester; those which are attributed to them.

VAA (re

MAGIC PRODIGES: There are more than 343 employees who multiply and conceal their misdemeanours. The fable is rich in: these legends: Jupiter, to cover his adultery, turns in turn into a golden rain, a swan, an eagle, a bull. Protée! escaped the troublesome who came to ask her the secrets of the future by passing at her will from one appearance to another. Herodotus says that the Neurs, according to the Scythes and Greeks living in Scythia, changed into wolves once a year, for a few days, and then returned to their first state. All popular beliefs assume this privilege to the sorcerers, and one can say with a contemporary author è, who accumulates erudition only to make it a right to disbelief, that almost everywhere reigns on their account the same fables. " They are assured that they can, at their will, become invisible or transform into animals, that they are invulnerable and that their eyes have a magical and almost always evil virtue. " These tales are spread in America as well as among Muslims; China is full of them, and they form all the popular history of the Chamans."

Closer to us, and also with greater certainty, pre-

1 VIRGILE, Georg., l. 4, V. 405-414, 440-444.

2 Hist. 1. 4 p. 113: Dicuntur a Scythis et ab iis qui in Scythia incomlunt Græcis, semel quotannis singuli ad aliquot dies efici lupi, et rursus in pristinum habitum redire; quod tamen dicentes mihi non persuadent.

3 ALFRED Maury, Magic and Astrology, 11° P., ch. 1, p. 20.

4 Ibid., note 2: In Northern Guinea, we imagine that witches can turn into tigers, and transform their enemies into elephants to kill them. ( Leighton Wilson, Western Africa, p. 398)

In Darfur, it is believed that magicians have the ability, when they are about to be caught, to turn into air or wind. (Mohammed-el- Tounsy, Travel to Darfur, Trad. Perron, p: 356.) In Ireland, once, the people, full of old Celtic superstitions, imagined that witches could take all kinds of forms of beasts, especially those of flies and hares (Crofton Croker, Researches in the South-Ireland, p. 94 et seq.)

-344 2° section: kabol f parodies: magic

It is difficult to deny any character of authenticity and truth. Scholarly and pious ecclesiastical inquisitors, honest Secular magistrates, judicious theologians who had to know about these facts, have cited examples that can only be opposed by the preconceived resolution of not believing in them. In the 19th and 19th centuries, Sprenger +, Delrio*, Schott? among the ecclesiastical authors; of Lancre‘, Bodin, and Boguet® among the royal judges; and nowadays, to speak only of secular writers, Görress, MM. de Mirville*, Gougenot des Mousseaux °, Bizouard ®, did not think that they had to refuse any attention to these accounts, although they did not agree on how to interpret them.

What is no less serious is that many, in the last period of the Middle Ages, were convinced by testimonies and by their own confessions that they had committed cruelty to homicides under the cover of these metamorphoses, and, from this leader, condemned to the last torture.

XII. — Since the substance of these accounts is supposed to be true or only possible, what explanation can be given?

It is well known, first of all, that metamorphosis cannot be real.

1 Malleus maleficarum, q. 10, p. 105. Venetiis, 1576.

® Disquisite. magic., l. 2, q. 18, Mainz, 1600, t. 1, p. 381: Ipsa quidem iransformatio delusoria est, multi tamen eam concurrent performed sunt verissimi.

3 Phys. curiosa, l. 1, c. 26 § 6, p. 94: Quæ ope daemonis fiunt et in quibus homines vere sub bestiarum fortis apparent, uti in multis exemplis supra recensitis sine dubio contigit, delusoriæ sunt.

4 Table of the inconstancy of demons, l. 4 p. 235-326.

5 Treaty of demonomania, l. 2, ch. 6 p. 94, 1589.

6 Speech of the Wizards, ch. 47, p. 358.

7 Mystique, 8, ch. 35, t.5, p. 378.

8 Spirits, k° P:, ch. 114. App. O, t. 3 p. 357-871.

9 The high phen. of magic, ch. 5, p. 206-240.

10 Relationship of man to the devil, I. 6, c. 4; 1.7, c. 5; 1.8, ch.2

11 Bixsrec" of Confession. marefic. 3 p. 193: Magi vel malefici, virtute dæmonis, nec se nec alios homines vere and realiter possunt trans-

Considered in the soul, the fall of reasonable life to the state of the brute is metaphysically impossible, even to the divine all-power: a being endowed with reason cannot cease to be tei without ceaseing to be entirely.

Restricted in the field of the body, we only conceive the transmutation of one of these two ways: where by a modification of the bodily forms, or by the introduction into a new organism of the soul torn from its natural organism. In one way and the other is possible only by God alone!, and God never inflicted on man either. The case of the king of Babylon is sufficiently explained by mental alienation that makes him think he is a beast? We do not stop at the wife of Loth? converted into a statue of salt, for there is only petrification of this woman's body, punished with death for disobeying God's order. It is true that some saints have carried out miraculous transformations of another kind, of which we do not have to guarantee the authenticity; for example, from St.Dominic, who changed a girl into a boy to fulfill the vows of a mother stake, and from St.Oronce, a miracle quite the opposite, the change from a boy to a girl, to a woman, to a woman, to a woman, to a woman, to a woman, to a woman, to a woman.

— Hæc comprêtio non solum est vera secundum veram philosophiam, sed etiam fidei veritatem, ita ut si quis cum pertinacia contrarium credat aut dicat, sit hereticus ct infidelis. Dictum vere et realiter, quia per illusionem et apparentiam bene fit.

1 ALPH. From Castro, from Just. heret. punished. 1.1, ©. 14, p. 1134: Sicut Deus solus potest animam humanam producte, ita etiam ille solus potest illam corpori unitire; and inde sequitur ut etiam ille posit illam de corpore in corpus transferre... No is igitur credendum ulla daemonum potentia possessed homines in jumenta, aut aves, aut alia bruta animalia mutari.

2 Mexnocmus in c. 1V, 13 Dan.: Aliqua ratione Nabuchodonosor conversus is in bestiam; imaginative and opinion sua, quia se talem rebatur, etc.,

3 Gen. xix, 26.

4 BB. PAU, t. 35,p. 652, n. 5.

5 BB, 26 Aug., t. 39, p. 771, n. 30.

: THE MAGIE nition of his mother's irreverence towards this holy martyr; but we do not know of a bodily bestial metamorphosis realized in the name and by the power of God.

In any case, even if an organic modification is understood, such a metamorphosis exceeds the power of the demon. The evil spirit does not exert such an empire upon our members that it may change its disposition and conformation at its own discretion; let alone it has the virtue of removing the soul from the body it animates and introducing it into a foreign body and then returning it to its natural seat. It is therefore necessary to assume in principle that such changes are never real, but only prestigious or imaginary, as well as teaching, in the testimony of Suarez, Saint Augustine, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Isidore, Raban Maur, Saint Thomas, Saint Bonaventure, Richard of Saint Victor, Suarez himself, and with him most theologians.

The transvestances of witches are explained in two ways. Either the demons ‘execute in a bestial form the facts attributed to the magicians, or it is the magicians themselves who act. In the first hypothesis, the whole fact is at the charge of the spirits, and it is known that they can affect any form of body, move dead or living bodies with a superior speed.

1 Suarez, from Superst. v. 16, n. 6, t. 13, p. 576: Hinc recte etiam colligitur omnes transmutationses hominum in bestias quae proui dicuntur virtute daemonis, non esse veras sed apparent...; sunt ergo illusiones sensuum et dæmonum præstigia, ut docuit Augustinus 48 de Civit., c. 47 and 18; Chrysostomus, hom. 29 in Matth.; Isid. 1. 8 Origin. c. 9; Rabban., 1. of Magorum præstig., and habetur in cap. No mirum, 26, q. 5. Same D. Thomas, q. 6 de Potentia, a. 5, ad 6, and 4 P., q. 114, a. 4, ad 2; Bonavent., 2, Dist. 7, a. 2, q. 2; Victor., Relect. de Magia; Castrus, of just. hæret. punishmentc, c. 44; Paulus Grilland., 1. 2 of exitlegis, q. 7; Petrus Binsfeldius, 1. de Confess, malefic. circa conclusionem tertiam ubi preres alios refert.

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE FALLS 347 below all that is seen in nature. The impact of the wounds on those who accept these responsibilities would be the work of Satan himself. As he realizes these exploits, the evil-doing and deceitful angel plunges those who believe that they are doing them into deep lethargy, and deludes their minds to the point that they think they are perpetrating the evil that meets their vows?.

However, in several cases, the presence of man seems to have been real, and there will be no doubt when threats and blows force them to lift the mask and declare themselves. All this was explained by the demon's prestigious illusions about the witnesses of these scenes, and whose agents he enveloped in order to take them out of sight.

There are also incursions where the so-called lycanthropists reappeared as true wolf skins and ran, thus affluent, through the fields*. It is quite worthy of the demon to favor these burlesque and cruel transvestinations; in fact, there would be wolf there only the skin.

Metamorphosis inflicted by malaise may be interpreted in the same way. On the side of the victims, it is a mental disturbance that makes them think that they are transformed into beasts, and, if in reality they appear as such outside, it is by the effect of a prestige exerted on the senses of the spectators. Sometimes the whole evil is in this outer prestige which only affects witnesses, as well as the

1 See our 2nd P., c. 11, t. 2, p. 137 et seq.

2 Bocuer, Speech of the Wizards, Ch. 47, p. 377: As for moy, I consider that Satan sometimes adorns the sorcerer behind a bush, and that he alone will lure to execute what the sorcerer has in will, making himself appear to be a wolf; and yet he so disturbs the sorcerer's imagination that he seems to have been a wolf, and that he has run and killed people and beets... But all the time, I take it that for the ordinary the sorcerer luy-mesme runs and executes; not that it is transformed into a wolf, but that it seems to be such.

3 Of Lancre, Table of the Inconstancy of the Demons, ch. 4.

: THE MAGIE sees him in the ill-treated woman healed by Saint Macaire.

As for the external facts which would hardly be explained by the true action of the subjects so prestigiously metamorphosed, it is enough to bring them back to the demons who act in their name and place; so that St Augustine gives reason for the metamorphoses which he tells and which we have quoted above.

We will not stop to discuss Görres's suppositions; they come back to say that in these always imaginary transmutations, man thinks himself to be changed into the beast which he approaches most by his instincts: "Master and king of the animals," he said, "man came to them by sin, and the more he sinth, the more he becomes like them. This lowering is much more rapid and far deeper when it is the result of satanic influence, and it is not surprising that man, in this state, ends up having the sense and sight of the various forms of animals he found, so to speak, at the bottom of his being. This is what explains these bestial metamorphoses that are sometimes the effect of obsession." We much prefer solutions of theology common to these nebulous theories that seek in nature more than it can give.

XII. — The question of vampires comes naturally to the point of malice and confines itself to that of diabolical transmutationg. We will say little, however enough to make the case and solutions heard?.

In popular opinion, vampires are comers who come out of their graves on the night, assail, invisible and silent, the living, and drink to their veins

1 Mystique, 1. 8, ch. 35, t. 5, p. 378. 2 Cfr D. Cazuer, Treaty on the apparitions of spirits and on vampures, ti 2,

_. MAGIC PRODUCTS: THE MALEFICES 34 until they are reduced to complete exhaustion; that if they are opened, they are found in perfect condition of preservation and sipped from the blood of their victims. The way to avoid their incursions and their bloodthirsty greed is to burn them, pierce them with a spear or nail, impal them, absolutely like a living evildoer who would be prevented and punished.

These beliefs, which are presented in the form of legends rather than precise facts, are prevalent mainly in the countries of Austrian domination, in Poland and in Turkey of Europe; but they meet, with variations, everywhere. The trace is found throughout ancient times. "The belief in the dead who came from the tomb to the state of vampires existed in Chaldea and Babylon?" Among the Hebrews, the demon Liura, who was to wander, according to Isaiah, over the ruins of Babylon, referred to the night and bloodthirsty spectre that attacked the children. St Jerome translated this word into LAME, lamia: but the Greeks and Romans called them hideous witches who at night sucked the blood of the children, and the Latins also called them srrycs. In the Middle Ages, witches were identified indifferently by these various names of rams and srryGes, and by several other names. Vampires, stryges, lamies have this in common, that they are evil beings who live and delight in the blood of their victims.

1 Benorr XIV, from Serv. Dei beatific. 1. 4, P. 1, c. 21 n. 4.

2 Fr. LexormanD, The magic of the Chaldeans, ch. 1, p. 35,

3 1s. xxx1Y, 44: Ibi cubavit lamia.

4 Mr. Trocuow, Isaiah, The Holy Bible, edited by Lethielleux, p. 173.

5 D. Cazmer, Treaty on Appearances, L 2, ch. 16, p. 74: This last term (/ilith), according to the Hebrews, means the same as the Greeks and Latins express by Stryx and Lamia, who are witches or magi-

women who seek to destroy newborn children. 6 Bisrezn, Comment. in til, cod, 1x, not, 5, p. 398,

It does not matter to us that the facts put into circulation, at all ages of the world, on vampirism, are real, imaginary or imagined: by making as wide as possible the part of fear, credulity, superstition, lie, it seems difficult to contest everything. "I will not consider it," said Huett, "if the facts (of vampirism) that are reported are true, or if it is a popular mistake, but it is certain that they are reported by so many skilful and reliable authors and by so many eyewitnesses, that one must not take sides without much attention." Far from proceeding with this reservation, most reject the biases, reprimanding them, first of all, absurd and impossible. It is an easy and expeditious process, certainly, but — we have had the opportunity to observe it many times — as an enemy of science as of history. For us, we are proud to follow a very opposite course. We carefully record the accounts which seem to us to offer clear guarantees of certainty, must we abandon ourselves to finding a satisfactory explanation; and if we are told of an order of facts whose control is beyond careful and strict investigation, we do not rush to deny, neither do we claim; but, taking the statement, we discuss the possibility and consider whether it is likely to be suitable for interpretation. It is mainly this last point of view that comes back to theology and, as such, is ours.

So let us take the alleged phenomenon in itself. It consists in a evil evil of the evil order that would reach man at the source of life, removing the blood from his veins. In itself, the fact does not present absurdity or impossibility; it is not for doctors, in particular, to

1 Huetiana, p. 81.

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We need to learn that we are dying of bleeding and anemia.

But what would be the bleeding, the leech, the vampire, in a word? They are not the dead, who eat or drink, nor come out of their graves. We fully agree.

Would it be witches and witches? Probably not, though, made invisible by demons, they can cause mortal wounds and oppress those they pursue.

But if the dead and the magicians should be kept away, why would not the demons, called by a cursed sign, accomplish this horrible task? And what task would be more accommodated to Satan's genius than to tarnish the sources of life in man, body and soul? Homicide by jealousy and hatred from the beginning, he is greedy for blood as he is insatiable for destruction and death. Homer! represents the shadows of Tartarus altered with blood and running to drink to the one that Ulysses has just spread to evoke them. These so-called donkeys are only the infernal spirits that please to give themselves to the souls of the dead, in order to better surprise the sympathy and credulity of the living.

But, in this hypothesis which attributes to demons the cruelty of vampirism, what does this blood, which seems to be swallowed up by the bodies of the dead suspected of such misdeeds, mean? Assuming this coincidence, the evil cunning, which thus diverts the attention of the true cause and accredits a terrible superstition, suffices to explain everything.

So if vampires there are, "demons, let's conclude with Mr. Gougenot des Mousseaux*, des angeles de té-

1 Odyssey, 1. 11, v, 35-50. 2 The High Phen. of Magic, ch, 4, p. 205.

bleeds housed in fake bodies or animating ca-

I'm sorry, these are the vampires... Let them call themselves

In turn, gods, demons or souls, they claim to feed themselves with blood, in order that man may spread it worse."

XIV. — In concluding this question of malice, it is necessary to indicate the remedies which can be used against these pernicious influences.

The theologians assign three kinds of them. The first, the only effective means to fight directly and indirectly the evil action, are the supernatural means that we have indicated? against possession and obsession, namely: prayer, sacraments, alms, fasting, invocation of saints, sacramentals, and above all exorcisms.

The latter are natural and suitable for specific cases of infirmity and illness. Suarez? observes that medical prescriptions are generally used only a little when the malice is real and present, because it is easy for the demon to prevent its effect. At least, when the evil has ceased and only the sequels remain, the simplest way is to resort to natural means.

The third resource is to ask the magic itself for the cure of the evil it has caused: a very delicate question of which it is important to separate the various aspects, in order to recognize well what is lawful and what is not.

First of all, it is obvious that it is never allowed to do so.

1 Suarez, from Superst., ©. 17, n: 5, t. 13, p. 586: Possunt triplicia remedia adhiberi, scilicet supernaturalia, physica seu humana and superstitiosa.

2 See above, c. 41, n.5, p. 244 et seq.

5 From Superst., ©. 17, n. 7 p. 586: If eflectus semper hanget ab arte mala, and a dæmone, parum proderunt naturalia remedia vel medicinæ, which, if permittatur a Deo, dæmon potest easy impedire talium remediorum efficacitatem.

In Suarez, Tbid, ©. 18, n, 4, p. 591: No is licium uti arte magica ad

to succeed or to employ, in any way, a magician to stop another's evil: it would be to pursue a good by a positive evil.

If the evil is attached to a charm that can be destroyed, not only is it a permissible thing, it is also an obligation under natural law to remove the object that gives rise to the evil action!.

But are we entitled to compel the one who caused the evil to lift him? If he can do so without resorting to a magic and without sinning, suspending the pernicious influence or indicating the charm that causes him, he is morally obliged to do so, and nothing therefore prevents him from being brought to this by prayer, by money, by threats, and even by beatings, wounds, torture, but without coming to the point of killing him? And usually the evil one assumes a continuity of action on the part of the evil one; it is therefore permissible to force him to withdraw himself by means of persuasion or coercion.

It is otherwise if the cessation of evil requires a new and positive intervention of the demon: implementing such a means would still do evil to provide a good.

curandum morbum ortum a causis naturalibus et propria naturæ corruptione; ergo nc ad curandum morbum ex maleficio causatum; est enim eadem ratio deformitatis in utroque remedio.

1 Suarez, ibid. c. 17, n. 9-13, p. 587: Communis sententia est licere simplicititer haec signa destruere, si ubi sint deprehendantur, vel ad manus devenient... Unde ulterius addo non solum esse hoc licium, sed etiam esse in præcepto, per se loquendo.

216. Licūori, moral Theol. 1.3, very 1, d. 5, n. 24, t. 1, p. 268: So maleficus lictivo modo potest maieficium tollere, liquet eum ad id accestere, rogare, imo etiam pecunia indicere, vel verbribus aut tormentis cogere (non tamen interficere), si nolit. Idque, etiamsi constet eum id facturum per noyum maleficium, sicuti ex causa lilet ab usurario petere mutum ad usuram. Ratio is, quia, cum habeam jus petendi. quod ab illo recte præstari potest, and is indifferens, imputabitur illius malitiæ si id male faciat.

3 S. Liçori, ióid. n. 25, p. 269: An liceat petere a malefico parato ut maleficium cum alio maleficio tollat? — Affirmant Angel. et Aureol. apud Salm. v. 11, n. 146, sicut dicunt etiam licere ad propriom utilitatem petere

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However Suarez t, taking sides on this point against Cajetan and other theologians, except the case where the evil could be lifted without any recourse to magic, although it is foreseen with certainty or at least with probability that the magician will use for this purpose, by habit or malice and not by necessity, an unlawful means.

Another equally interesting question is whether it is possible to prevent or break the evil at the very moment when it occurs.

One cannot deny the virtue of prayer, the sacramentals and other supernatural means listed above, against the eruptions and evil influences, but the vulgar makes run of puerile recipes that can only be effective by Satan's intervention: baroque formulas, incoherent acts, ridiculous movements, in a superstitious practical word, whose attempt would vainly be made to justify reason for being and morality.

However, a natural process is reported more than once successfully used. It consists of surprising the evildoer at the moment when he exercises, invisible, his criminal operation, to seize him, to reduce him, by threats and by blows, to reveal himself. Examples are given where the witch, caught on the act and hit by an unexpected blow, had to lift the mask. The virtue of ace-

Sacramenta a sacrilego priestdote. Sed tenenda is negativa senticia, cum Less.l. 2, ©. 44, n. 35, and Salm. n. 134, cum S. Thoma et pluribus, quia sacerdos sacrilegus potest ministere Sacramenta non sacrilege; sed maleficus nequit conficere maleficium sine dæmonis cooperatione, guod est intrinse malum.

1 From Superst. ¢. 18, n, 10, p. 595: Sed oppositum verum existimo... And ratio is clara; quia tuno peto rem quam alius licit præstare potest and habeo jus petendi; ergo nec indico ad malum, nec moralm præbeo occasionem, quia utor jure meo. And per accidens is quod alius malitia sua usurus sit; nam ego permitto illam, non consento, nec sum causa ejus.

2 Görres, Mystique, l. 6, c. 40, t. 4 p. 458.

and sharp, probably because they cause more rapid and deeper wounds!. M. de Mirville? recounts, in particular, a feat of this kind that happened in 1851 in Cideville, a village in the diocese of Nantes, and with very serious legal evidence.

It should be added that these means usually remain ineffective, either that the demon immediately operates the evils, or that it protects its agents by diverting the blows directed against them, or by keeping them free from harm. More than that, it can make them invulnerable, even when they are struck to the open and with violence capable of killing them on the spot, as we said earlier and we will have the opportunity to say again, by discussing against doctors and rationalists the true character of the grotesque scenes given, in the last century, by the Jansenist convulsors at the cemetery of Saint-Médard.

1 GOUGENOT pes Mousseaux, The high phenomena of magic, ch. 3, p.144. — Scuorr, Phys. curiosa, 1. 2, ©. 38, p. 305,? Spirits, ch. 11, p. 332.

Chapter XVII

The Prodigies of Magic — IV. The Satanic Favors

The power and honors granted by Satan. — Where does he take the gold that he gives? — The riches that he spreads are usually only prestigious illusions: the story of Radbod. — Magical healings; to what signs are recognized. — The art of St.Anselm, St.Paul. — The Spanish saludadores. — The marcous or seventh boys born after six other consecutive ones. Other healers. — Devotions to a saint to obtain special favors are not in common with demonic practices, although they sometimes seem tainted with superstition. — The incubic voluptuousness attested by authority and experience.

I. — We have just described the evils inflicted by the devil and his followers; we have yet to speak of the so-called benefits that they promise or provide to attract and corrupt.

Satan promises his worshipers that ambition will torment the empire of the world, and it will indeed give some the glory of fame and the triumphs of human glory. But, most often, these results are due less to active intervention of the evil mind than to supporting

THE PRODIGES: SATANICAL FAVOURS 357 mutual between themselves, and the solidarity of interests that unite them.

It is more true to say that even from this world, the share of those who worship Satan is humiliation and contempt. Among all peoples, those who profess to be and relate to the genius of evil are doomed to abjection, and, if they are always feared, they are rarely honoured.

He. — The same is almost true of wealth. Most of the unfortunate people who are handed over to magic practices are as poor as they are of honor, and share in shame and misery, despite the assurances of lying angel. "What attracts the unfortunate to the slippery precipice of the path of perdition, and to dedicate oneself to Sathan," says Bodin, "is a depraved opinion that they have that the devil gives riches to the poor, delight to the afflicted, power to the unfaithful, beauty to the ugly, be fair to the ignorant, honor to the meprises, and favor to the great. And nothingless is ever seen that there are no more miserable, more beristres, more hedges, more ignorant, more tormented than the sorcerers."

The demon, however, promises a great deal? all the goods that try to covet, especially gold, because it is the great way, among men, to arrive at everything. In most of the contracts with him, it states that he will give gold, and more than once he dispenses with it with a certain liberality. It is not, as the alchemists of the Middle Ages believed, that he has the power to make this metal at will; but there is no reason for him.

1 Demonomania, 1. 3, ch. 3 p. 132.

2 PsecLus, of Operatione dæm., p.16: Aurum enim, possessions and gloriolam, ut se datura, dæmonia polliceantur, dare certe non possunt queæ nihil possible. Initiatis autem phantasmata igneosque fulgores sæpe obtrudant,

: MAGIE contests the knowledge of mines where it can draw from at discretion, or even the ability sufficient to beat money; by which it is in a state, if it wills and if God does not obstruct it, to satisfy the greedy human. At the bottom, it is likely that things will happen quite differently and more simply: the gold and the silver that the demon provides are taken, or discafed by men, or hidden and unknown treasures. And, in this respect, theologians push delicacy until they examine whether the goods thus acquired impose the law of restitution. In cases where one knows with certainty the person to whom these goods would have been surveyed, one should, without doubt, as in ordinary flights, restore them; but generally the uncertainty where one is from the origin of these treasures!, and even better their deceptive appearance, emerge from the care of restitution.

II. — A thousand times for one, indeed, these so-called riches are purely illusory and prestigious? God cannot leave at the disposal of the tempter such an effective and universal means of seduction and corruption; if the demon dispensed material goods at his will and at the will of men: gold, silver and other instruments of wealth, he would truly be the master of the world, and the number of those who would address him would be incalculable. So he promises and pretends to give, but, in

1 Suarez, from Superst. ©. 17,n. 3, t. 13, p. 585: Cum ille non posit verum aurum efficere, sæpe ut det uni veram pecuniam, ab alio surripit. If ergo hoc constaret posidenti talem pecuniam, profecto obligandus esset ad illam domino reddendam, quia saltem ratioe rei acceptæ vietur ad hoc teneri..., nec Deus, permittendo oblationem rei, concedit licentia auferendi dominium, nec is cur dæmon quasi jure suo tantam habeat potostatem. Hoc tamen vix potest ad praxim reduci, quia constare non potest unde talem pecuniam dæmon tulerit; potuit enim ex thesaurus in terris recondito vel in maris profundo existe, illam citissime portate, vel alio modo llam donare sine detrimento tertii; and idco ubi certis indiciis de domino non constiterit, retineri potest.

2? Simon Maroro, Dies canicul. 3, t. 2, p. 254

Sugar

Hey, miss.

AS wy

The wonders: satanic favors 359-

reality, he pays for illusions. This way of gluing men

by the appåt of wealth to put in their hands only snags, is moreover quite in the genius and habits of the infamous and lying spirit, which takes pleasure in deceiving men by exciting their passions.

It is indeed, as it does: it presents in the eyes of cupids of heaps of gold, of which it seems to put them in possession; but, as in dreams, soon everything vanishes, or it remains in the hands only a common matter, a coarse metal or something more vile still t.

The former historians of Saint Wulfran?, first Archbishop of Sens, then Apostle of the Frisians, tell a legend that suits the subject we deal with. In order to retain in the worship of idols the ruler of the land, the Duke Radbod, already shaken by the preaching of the holy bishop, the demon appeared to him in a dream, the forehead girded with a diadem sparkling with stonework, under the sumptuous clothes woven all

1 Suarez, from Superst., ©. 16, n. 13, p. 578: Ordinarie, haec omnia vana sunt, and per illusionem phautasiæ fiunt, quia dæmon non potest talia ánimália producere..., imo fortasse neque aurum, præsertim tam repentina actione. Unde etiam ferunt solere tale aurum paulo post in carbons converted, etc.

2 BB. 20 Mart., t. 9, p. 146, Appendix, n. 2 and 3: Deceptor hominum diabolus... ei appeared diademate aureo cum fulgentibus gemmis capite operatus, jacketque auro textili toto amictus corpore... Dic, quaesso, fortissim virorum, who is ita seduxit ut a cultura deorum and religione prædecessorum tuorum velis recedere? Noli ita, obsecro, agere, sed in his quae hectnus tenustisti culturis deorum permane, ibisque ad domos aureas æternaliter permansuras, quam tibi in proximo sum daturus...; mittantur legati, eroque dux itineris, et demonstrabo illis mansionem eximiæ pulchritudinis ac fulgoris immensi, quam tibi post modicum sum daturus... Sacerdos Christi... misit continuo cum quodam Frisione suum Diaconum... Viam ingredinets latissimam..., empty along domum auream, ete. And Diaconus obstupefactus in his quae vierat, dixit: If a Deo omnipotente facta sunt ista, perpetue maneant; if atem a diabolo, cito dispereant... Dux itineris qui viebatur homo transit in diabolum, et domus aurea versa est in lutum... Revertuntur ad oppidum, invenientes præfatum ducem Radbodum sine baptomatis sacramento mortuum,

: THE MAGIE OF GOLD; and addressed to him: "Tell me, O the first of the brave, who was able to seduce you to the point that you want to give up the gods honored by your ancestors? Remain faithful to the religion of the past, and you will have, whenever you want, the most beautiful palaces. The Christians also promise you a house of light for eternity: sum them to make you see what they make you hope, and as you will not get anything from it, send with one of them an emissary from you; I myself will be their guide and show them what I reserve for you." The Duke woke up and immediately called Wulfran, telling him what he had just seen. The saint discovered without pains that it was a maneuver of the evil spirit to prevent the prince's conversion, and he urged him to cut short these perfidious illusions by hastening to receive baptism. However, Radbod s.b. asked in proof of the Christian faith the heavenly vision, that God grant only after death. The bishop saw him inflexible, and wanting to prevent false noises that the Gentiles might accredit on this adventure, sent his deacon, to whom he joined a man of the land, and instructed him to go and control Satan's lies.

At the gate of the city, the two messengers found a man who said to them: "Come, I will show you the royal dwelling that to Radbod the god of his fathers." They went for a long time, until finally a spacious and magnificent avenue opened before them. At the end was a vast courtyard paved with precious stones. From there one would enter a palace where one could see only marbles and gold, splendid furniture and ornaments, and in the most beautiful apartment, a throne that surpassed all in brilliance and richness. "You see," said the guide to the two envoys, "the residence that Radbod's god will give him after his death."

The deacon, coming back from the stupor where this show had him

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First tossed, said in turn: "If these things are of the Almighty God, let them remain forever; but if they are of the devil, let them pass away." He said, and made the sign of the cross. Suddenly the guide, who was none other than the devil, disappeared, and the golden house turned into a muddy mass. The Frison and the deacon who had followed him were alone in the midst of swamps from which they were very hard to get out; and when, after three days of hard walking, they returned to the city, they were told that Duke Radbod had been struck with death without having received baptism: just punishment for his unbelief.

IV. — Health is even more dear to man than wealth, and Satan promises him, with equal impudence, to heal all his evils.

It is not absolutely repulsive that demons and their followers should be truly healed, either by considering their power, which can discover the causes of diseases and suppress them, or by knowing the specific remedies and applying them; or by considering their perversity, which contributes to the well-being of the body to give rise to the illusions and defections of the soul, which keeps Satan in his role as an evildoer.

In fact, most of these cures are only simulated, and are reduced to the suspension of the evils that have caused the harm to make believe in the cure, or to prestiges that soon pass away and let evil resume its course, if they do not have the effect of aggravating it. But finally, in whatever way, it would be imprudent and contrary to the truth to reject all of these cures indistinctly as unfeasible; it is enough to bring the miracle back to one of the interpretations that we have proposed.

We have reported demonic healing elsewhere, but only in cases where it could be attributed to a supernatural cause other than the demon itself.

even: let us not forget that here we study the phenomena openly evil.

Such treatments must be held to be obtained by means of formulas, signs, ingredients, which would not have by them-

even no virtue, at least in relation to the effect that is demanded of them; and, in principle, all those in which the appointed agents of the demon, diviners, sorcerers and magicians, people of bad life or suspicious faith intervene. Where nature is powerless, one must, in order to have the cause of the action that occurs, go up to God or down to Satan, and, in the kind of thing that this is about, Satan alone can claim such effects, realized by such Moÿens and by such agents.

V. — These evil healers meet everywhere, under various names according to time and country. In the 19th century, the so-called art of Saint Anselm was in great use in Italy, and the vulgar saw a superhuman gift dating back to Saint Anselm of Canterbury; but Delrio ' tells us that the true inventor of these practices was Georges Anselm of Parma, famous magician of the 19th century. They consisted of touching only with the hand cloths applied to wounds and wounds. One particularity that ends to reveal the superstitious character of this art is that it formed the exclusive privilege of a few Italian soldiers. There were also some in this nation who, claiming to be of the family of St Paul or of St Catherine, martyred, claimed to cure different kinds of diseases. If the imposture did not make the whole of these healings, it remains to attribute them to the intervention and satanic prestiges.

VI. — In Spain, it is the SALUPADORES (donors)

1 Disg. mag. 1. To, ©. 3, t. 1, p. 69: Blapshemum Quoque is vocare Artem D. Anselmi, quae fled magi illius Anselmi Parmensis commentum.

The wonders: islands 3 satanic favors -363

It is not always easy to decide by what virtue these strange healers operated. Torquemada! shows us one in action and performing an extraordinary cure on his own father. During a journey that he made in his youth, a dog, big and black, threw himself furious upon him, crossed his boot with his teeth, and made him a slight scratch on his leg, from which a few drops of blood came out. Three or four days later, having entered a church to hear the Mass, he saw a peasant come to him and greeted him, saying: "Sir, was he not bitten by a dog?""How do you know that," replied the young man, who no longer thought of anything, and why your question?""Thank God for bringing you to me," said the peasant, "for I am a salutary, porque soy saludador; the dog that bit you was rabid, and if you had waited until the ninth day, it was made of you." On this point he tells him the least circumstances of the incident, the size and coat of the dog, the way he attacked and injured him. And he added: "Wait here a little, and I will heal you." The young man, struck by what he had just heard, was not careful to go. This man entered his house, greeted him, offered him dinner, and, after dinner, greeted him again. Then he asks to make him a little bleed, stings his nose three times with the tip of his knife, and collects, each time, the three drops of blood coming out of it. He then takes wine, which he salutes, and, by greeting, washes the incisions, without losing sight of the three drops of blood, until

i Heramero, 3rd day, n. 317, Rouen, 1610. — Translated by Horti florum:

NS FR i

that he saw a worm come out alive. And then: «There you are

Healed, Sir; yet again, thank God for this

that he led you here." Indeed, Torquemada's father never felt the bite he had received.

It is probably this way of operating that was worth the term saludadores to these empiricals. They had other ways of doing things: they made invocations about the sick, blew on them, touched them with mysterious tricks and gestures. Gürres? sums up as follows what the different authors have reported about their habits and practices.

"They formed a kind of brotherhood, some of which were sedentary, while the others traveled through towns and villages to practice their art. They wore a cross on their chests that they made kiss those who wanted to be healed. They recited with this certain formulas, slowly blew on the sick person or kissed him; or, in poisoning, in rage, they gave them a piece of bread that they had bitten themselves.They touched the wounds in a certain way, and they often took small pieces of iron and healed them. They claimed that, in order to succeed in their profession, they needed to drink a lot of wine."It was probably a way of giving new energy to the ordinary faculty that resided in them," adds Görres naively. This, together with other inseparable disorders of wandering life, gave many of them a bad reputation. However, there was no relationship between their lives and the gift they had received, continues the German author, and hence it can be concluded that this gift was physical and natural in its source.

1 Mystique;v1.5, ch.15,1t.13, p.302: 2 Cf, Demo, Disg. mag.,1.0c. 3 p. 64. — Suarez, from Superst., This 45,

Görres makes a special logic to subtract from the supernatural the facts which he enumerates and reproduces, we recognize it, accurately. If the gift of sa/udadores is physical and natural in its principle, love of wine and other inseparable disorders of wandering life will not invalidate, if one wishes, efficiency. But, curing by a simple touch, a kiss, a breath, recitation of certain formulas, giving to eat a piece of bread in which one bit himself, was it ever a natural thing? And if there is a supernatural here, then the inclination to drink and the other licenses of a wandering life do they not accuse a causation rather demonic than divine?

Without absolutely contesting that such a virtue cannot hold from the miraculous grace of health, and that these kinds of graces do not meet even in sinners, however, in principle, unless there are exceptional signs of this origin, such practices must be looked upon as superstitious, if they are not, as Suarez' remarks, juggleries intertwined with human remedies. According to the common teaching of the theologians? who have dealt with these questions, and in particular those of Salamanca °, the magic character does not guarantee that they will be able to do so.

n. 23-96, t. 43, p. 571. — Concna, Theol. Christ., 1. 3, d. 2, c. 10, t. 3, p.42. — VALLE DE Moura, de Incant. seu Ensalmis, Op. 1, s. €2. 9, p. 264 et seq. — SALMANTICENS. Tr. 21, c. 11, P. $9, $2, t. 5, p. 234.

1 De Religion, 1. 2, c. 15, n. 24, t. 43, p. 571: Solent interdum hi homines tam occult and artificiose uti his remediis naturalibus, ut sine illis operari appareant, ut hoc modo in majori æstimatione et admiratione habeantur.

2 CONCINA, Theol. Christ., 1. 3, d. 2, ©. 40, n. 40, t. 3 p. 43: Plura signa produnt laudati Salmanticenses, aliique auctores communiter, quibus istoram salutatorum superstitio internosci quat.

STNE mor, TE 2E C 11, RAI SAS m.1A7ret 118, t S p 143: Pierique superstitiosi sunt daemonisque ope haec peragunt... Quare, ut superstitiosisi, excludeddendi sunt: 4° which dictates will future cognoscere...; 2° sine læsione laminas flammantes calcant, carbons manibus countering aut ardentem clibanum subeunt...; 3° quando medio inhalitu fornacem tepefaciunt...; 4° raisono rabie lethali laborantes... flatu interimunt... 5° when in habit rotam S. Catharinæ...; 6° quando unus ab altero dignoscitur quin

could be questioned every time these people do

profession of predicting the future, of fearing nothing from the fire, of recognizing one another without ever seeing one another; that they

claim to increase their virtue by broad libations and the -

to lose in the presence of another more powerful healer; to show on their bodies extraordinary prints, such as the wheel of Saint Catherine; to say that they have learned this art of healing, or that this gift has been given to them

granted as a seventh boy, born as a result of six

other successors in the same family without interruption,

VII. — In France, this seventh son, to whom the prerogative of healings would come, is called marcou, of St.Marculphus, vulgarly Marcoul or Marcou, Abbé de Nanteuil, whose intercession was particularly effective against the scroful. It is said that from this saint the kings of France obtained the supernatural privilege of healing the collapses by simple touching, and for this purpose, after having been sacred in Reims, they were going to make a novena in Corbeny, in the diocese of Laon, in the church where some of his relics were preserved. * The main virtue of the brother born after six other consecutive boys was also to heal the collapses, and according to popular tradition it was

aliquando eum empiricit; quando dicunt quod dum sunt vino traditi, vivaciori potiuntur virtute ad medendendum...; 7° so asserting in presentia alterius salutatoris majorem salutandi vim habentis, se no 8° if salutandi munus ab aliis discant; quia gratia naturalis siye gratis data non discitur, sed congenitur aut infunditur; 9° if credat han habere virtutem ex quo aliquis sit septimus filius, si masculinum ordinem fæmineus partus non interruperit, quod ridiculum est.

1 Year. Mizauco, Memorabilium, one hundred. 3, n. 66, p. 60 (Cologne, 1584); Certa observation experientia infantem eum, which, continuata serie masculorum, septimus in lucem prodiit, strumas seu scrofulas vel solo attactu curare,

2 BB. 1 May, t. 14, p. 82, Dm4).

3 See. ANDRÉ pu Laurens, De mirabili strumas sanandi vi solis Galliæ Regibus christianissimis divinilus concessa, 1. 1, ©, 4, Paris, 1609, — LE Bron, Hist. critique des prat. superstit., l. 4, ch. 5, p. 196.

4 History of the pilgrimage of St.Marcou, by Abbé Bror,

The name of the Lord and that of St.Marcou that these privileged of the number seven operated their healings on all the lands of France: wen did not need so much to make them qualify as marcous.

Assuming that it exists, it is not nature that can give rise to this strange privilege. Why the seventh boy instead of the first or the eighth? Why do sons, rather than daughters, get this favor? Moreover, if this gift is natural, it should constantly meet in all seventh boys; yet that is not what it is. Nature therefore does not explain the marcous, and if one ever sees them, it is to extranatural causality that one must attribute their virtue.

God, no doubt, may grant, in witness to his blessing on the many families, a grace freely given t; but this grace will be revealed by the cracters that are suitable for divine concessions, not by eccentricities that betray superstition. These, however, are the ordinary notes of the popular marcous °. They have virtue only after a fast of three or nine days; they only operate on certain fixed days, such as the

1 Lessius of Justitia, I. 2, ©. 43, d. 40, n. 63, p. 586: Sic quidam habitent gratiam curandi strumas; quam passim habere putatur masculus qui septimo loco, continuato ordine, nascitur. Sane no est dubitandum quin Deus posit quibusdam hominibus vel familiis eam vim concedere, ut suo tactus, vel habitu, vel odore posint aliquos morbos curare, etc.

2 Tmers, Superstitions, ch. 36, p. 436: Many believe that in France, the seventh boys nose legitimate marriages, without the continuation of the seven was interrupted by the birth of no girl, can also cure third-party fevers, quarter fevers, and even escroëlles, after I have been born three or nine days before touching the sick. But they make too much of the seven-year-old number, by assigning to the seventh boy preferably to all others, a power that there is as much reason to attribute to the sixth or eighth, to the number of three and to that of nine, so as not to engage in superstition. Joint, that of three whom I know of these seventh boys, there are two who heal nothing, and that the third my avowed good foy that he once had the reputation of curing many ills, though indeed he never led any guery.

~ A p. be VA ADA. m ÿ RUN

Good Friday. It is not a guarantee of the sanctity of these practices in the name of St. Marku or any other saint; for it is not uncommon for sorcerers to mix sacred formulas with their absurd and baroque recipes.

What we say about marcous is also suitable for all empirical healers who operate, not by natural means and proportionate to evil, but by cabalistic formulas or ridiculous prescriptions.

VII. — As regards the healing of various diseases by resorting to certain saints, each country has its traditions and legends, which are mixed more once with superstitious beliefs and habits. When the worship and invocation of a saint, in order to obtain a special favor, have as its foundation a particularity of his life or death, miracles which he seemed to multiply with a kind of preference, even immemorial legends which historical criticism would have some difficulty in justifying, but having in itself nothing but reasonable, one cannot find it to be contradicted. This is how Saint Joseph, who died between the arms of Jesus and Mary, is asked to be graced by the good death; that Saint Agathe, cruelly mutilated, be called upon against the evils of the breast and in favour of the nannys; Saint Félicité, mother of seven boys, to have male children; Saint Raymond Nonnat, for the happy deliverances; Job, against leprosy, ulcers and sorrows; Saint Apollonia, who had his teeth crushed in his martyrdom, against the pains of teeth; Saint Roch, against the pestilence; Saint Hubert of Liège, against rage; Saint Lucia, against the loss of blood; Saint Scolastic, against the thunderstorms; Saint Ambrose, for the bees, and an infinity of others against particular diseases and plagues.

1 See The Little Boll., by M, PauL Guérin, t. 15, Dictionn. Lhagiogr. prepared by Mr. A. It's all right.

t y { rRe )

It is more difficult to justify other devotions based solely on certain analogy of names between the saint being invoked and the evil to be healed. For example, Saint Claire and Saint Lucia are used in the diseases of the eyes, Saint Cloud for nails or furuncles, Saint Achaire (Acarius) for acariasters, Saint Amable for the healing of mad men and demoniacs, Saint Sulpices (whose vulgarity makes Supplice), in acute pains, Saint Serene for having good weather, Saint Leu or Wolf for the evil of fear, Saint Lié (Lætus!) to untie the rachitics. No matter how childish these popular devotions are, as long as the intervention of these saints and not of the demon is being sought, there would be injustice and inconvenience in putting them on the same footing as openly superstitious and demonic practices.

IX. — Carnal voluptuousness naturally has its place among Satan's degrading favours and means of corruption. We have already insinuated, with regard to obsessions, ‘ at which ends the tempter could reduce the brightness of chastity in a soul, and, by assigning the notes of the divine and the diabolical °, we have placed among the most suspicious clues all that alarms Langelic virtue. We would now have to denounce in contempt the most daring intervention of the filthy mind, the incubic, abject and ignoble prestige among all. We feel an insurmountable disgust to lift the veil that covers these ignominyes. Leaving aside any exposure and discussion of details, we will simply assert the fact. After what the books and souls have taught us, we are not allowed to

1 See above, c. 9, n. 6, p. 183. 2 See chap. 3, n.6, p. 65. lII 24

} we name tl port an

doubt, and our duty is to fight, if only by a mere statement, the many authors who, brazenly or recklessly, treat these horrors with fables or hallucinations +.

On the fact in itself, the doubt is difficult, indeed, for anyone who has studied the history of satanic influences

in the human world. "These stories, far from being fabu-

"We have all the authenticity that can be given them by an educated procedure with all the zeal and talent that enlightened and conscientious magistrates could bring, to whom, at all times, the facts did not fail?"

1 We regret having to report among the most disdainful adversaries the P. Debreyne, a doctor who became a Trappist, but without completely stripping the prejudices of his first profession. In the most doctoral tone, he declared the teaching of the ancient theologians in this matter outside of science and experience, and his disdain was such that he forgot to bring any reason to establish why this teaching contradicts science and experience. The following quotation will give an idea of the assurance and respect of this neotheology:

"Incubate and succubate. We would certainly not instill here these strange ideas that the Middle Ages have left us, if Mo Bouvier himself assured us that all theologians speak of these abominable conjunctions, that is, diabolical; and this apparently over the authority of St Augustine and St Thomas. These are the passages of these Fathers that may have given rise to these inconceivable aberrations. (Follow the quotations...) We must believe that the aberrations of these great characters were less their own mistakes than the mistakes of their century... Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas, despite this deviation, are no less two of the most powerful geniuses who appeared on earth. We shall not make lengthy critical reflections on the text which has just been mentioned; we shall limit ourselves to saying that, taken in its substance and with the spirit which has dictated it, it cannot be the subject of any serious scientific discussion today. In fact, every educated and judicious reader will carry on this passage the judgment that will be accepted and science, and reason, and experience; that is, that one must print to this strange eluculation of St.Thomas the seal of an eternal forgetfulness. Deleatur de libro scientiæ... The best remedies for all these madnesses, extravagances and frauds, were, without a doubt, the Hellebore, as the elders, the small houses or the prison say, rather than the fire, which, after all, seems to us a somewhat violent remedy... Let's now say a few words about the incube itself, which is simply that nightmare or night suffocation." (Moral Theol. Test, chap. $6. 2, p. 209-213).)

2 BizouarD, Relationships of Man with the Devil, 1.15, ch. 8, t. 3 p. 388.

Saint Augustine called it impudence to deny these facts. Most Catholic theologians seriously examine them from a double perspective of possibility and existence, and conclude, not that they are absurdities or chimeras, but sad realities. Let us name in this glorious series William of Paris °, Saint Thomas to, Saint Bonaventure *, Suarez *, the doctors of Salamanca 6, Saint Alphonsus of Liguori, Billuart `, Benedict XIV ° which,

1 From Civit. Dei, 1. 15, c. 23, p. 269: Assiduous immunditiam and tempt and efficerate, tiles talesque asseverant, ut hoc negare impudentiæ empudatur.

2 From Universe. 22 P., p.3, €. 25, t. 1, p. 1070: Esse eorum (which usualiterincubi vel succubi nominantur) and concupiscentiam eorum libidinosam, nectnon and generationem ab eisesse famosam atque credibilem fecerunt testimonia virorum et mulierum qui illusiones ipsorum, molestiasque et improbitates, nectnon et violentias libinis ipsorum, se passos fuisse testificati sunt et adhuc asserunt.

3 In 2 Sent. dist. 8. — Sum. 1 P., q. 51, a. 3, ad 6: If tamen ex coitu dæmonum aliqui interdum nascuntur, no special is per semen ab eis decisum, aut a corporibus assumeptis; sed per semen alicujus hominis ad hoc acceptum, utpote quod idem dæmon qui est succubus ad virum, fiat incubaus ad mulierem.

4 Sent. 1. 2, d. 8, P. 1, to. 3, qA t 2, p. 442: Succumbund viris in species mulieris, and ex eis semen pollutionis suscipiunt, and quadam sagacitate ipsum in sua virtute custodiunt, and postmodum, Deo permittente, fiunt incubi and in vasa mulierum transfundunt.

5 De Angelis, l. €4. 38, n. 10 and 14, t. 2, p. 555: Docet D. Thomas... and consent to communiter reliqui theologi... Ratio hujus sententiæ est quia tota illa actio non excedit potostatem naturalem dæmonis, ususautem talis potostatis est valde conformis pravæ voluntati dæmonis, et juste a Deo permitti potest propter aliquorum hominum peccata. Ergo non potest cum fundamento negari, et ideo non immerito dixit Augustinus, çam de illo usu multis experientiis et testimonis constet, non sine impudentia negari.

6 Theol. mor. Tr. 21, ©. 11, P. 40, p. 480 and 181, t. 5, p. 255: Negant aliqui, credentes impassibile esse quod dæmones actum carnalem cum hominibus exercise... Sed tenenda is ut omnino certa contraria senticia.

T Praxis confess., $7, n. 111, p. 150: Quidam hos dæmones incubos vel succubos dari negarunt; sed communiiter id afirmant auctores.

S Tract. de Angelis, d. 1, a. 4, ad fin., t. 3 p. 322: Same dæmon that is succubus ad virum potest proudi incuba ad mulierem, etc.

9 De Serv, Dei beatific., l. 4, P. 1 €. 3, n. 3: Quamvis enim prædicti concubitus commiter admittantur, sed generatio a nonnullis excluded

: MAGIE has all the people we have just mentioned, holds this sentiment as a common feeling, finally, the authors who have dealt specifically with these issues: Thyrea‘, Delrio?, Sprenger *, Nider *, Grilland ë, Castro Alphonse £, Binsfeld 7, Schott °, Bodin, Lancre, Boguet *', and of our time: Görres %, Bizouard ®, Gougenot des Mousseaux ‘. Over all these

tr.; alii tamen tum concubitum, tum generationem proude possesse et fatam fusse existimaverunt.

1 De Spirituum appears.,c. 10, n. 3 p. 29: Congressus hos dæmonum cum utriusque sexus hominibus negare, ita temerarium est, ut necessarium sit simul convellas, and sanctissimorum and gravissimorum hominum gravisssimas senticias, and humanis sensibus bellum indicas, and te ignorare fataris quanta sìtillorum spirituum in hec corpora vis atque potestas.

2 Disg. magic., l. 2, q. 45, t. 1, p. 332: Placuit enim assertio axiomatis adeo multis, ut verendum sit ne pertinaciae ct audaciae sit ab eis discedere; communis namque haec est senticia Patrum, theologorum and philosophorum doctiorum, and omnium fere sæculorum atque nationum experientia, comprobata.

3 Malleus malefic. P. 4, q. 3 p. 20: Assere per incubos et succubos dæmones homines interdum procreari in tantum est catholicum, quod ejus oppositum asserere est nedum dictis sanctorum, sed et traditioni sacræ Scripturæ contrarium.

4 Formicarium, ©. 9, p. 338: Causa autem quare daemones se incubus faiunt vel succubos esse videtur, ut per luxuriæ vituum hominis utramque naturam lædant, corporis videlicet et animae, qua in læsione præcipue delectari vicentur.

5 Tract. de sorteleg., ©. 7 p. 263: Dæmon in forma succubi se transformat, et habet coitum cum viro...; accedit ad mulierem in forma sciliat yiri... Ita asserting to communicate theological.

6 From Justa heret. punishes., 1. 1, c. 16, col. 1452: Certissima experientia sæpe cognitum est fæminas ctiam invitas a daemonibus essesse com= pressas, etc.;

1 De Confession, malefic., concl. 5, p. 206: Hæc is indubitata veritas quam non solum experientia certissima comprobat, sed etiam antiquitas confirmat, quicquid quidam medici and jurisperiti opinentur.

8 Phys. curios., l. 4, 6. 21, p. 62: Affirmativam sensiam multi and serious killer auctores, ut sine pertinaciae nota ab illa discedi non possesse videatur.

2 Demonomy, 1. 2, ch. 7 p. 104.

10 Table of the Inconstancy of Demons, 1. 3, disc. 5, p. 214.

11 Speech of the Wizards, ch. 411.

12 Mystique, 1..8,'Ch:39,t-501p. 338.

13 Relationship of man with the devil, 1. 1, Ch. 6, t, 4, — 1. 45, c. 4, t s.

14 High phen, magic, ch. 6 p. 274-348.

THE PRODIGES: SATANIC FAVOURS 373 authorities, detached the one of Pope Innocent VIII, whose testimony we have quoted above!.

The history of the saints confirms this teaching. "There are very few," observes the Rent? speaking of men, who have been visibly tempted by devils in the shape of women," and it can be added that many holy women have been obsessed with opposite visions. Amongst other things, St.Antoine, St.Hilarion, St.Pacôme*, the solitary St.Victorin 5, disappointed in the most ironic and lamentable way, St.John of God?, St.Colette, St.Catherine of Siena °, the Blessed Christine of Stommeln £. We have suggested, describing obsessions, ‘!, to what excesses could go this cursed violence.

The saints hated such visions; but many others succumb to them, and we are now talking about these relations with the spirit.

1 Bull. Summits of interest, Bull. 1, p. 429: Sane ad nostrum, non sine ingenti molestia, pervenit auditum quod... complus utriusque sexus personæ, propriete salutis immemores et a fide catholica deviantes, cum dæmonibus incubates et succubis abuti. — See above, p. 282.

2 Four books of ghosts or appearances and visions spirits, angels and demons showing themselves to men, p. 514. — Angers, 1586.

3 S. ATHASAN, Life of St.Antoine, n. 23, Migne, t. 26, col. 878.

4 S, Jerome, Life of St Hilarion, n. 7, Migne, t. 23, Col. 32.

5 BB. 44 Maii, t. 16, p. 300, n. 43.

6-BB. Addenda ad 8 Jan.,t.1,p. 742, n.11.

7 BB. 8 Mart., t. 7 p. 827, n. 64.

8 BB. 6 Mart., t. 7, p.572, n. 159.

9 CAP RaymonD, BB. 13 April, t. 12 p. 888, 889.

10 PIERRE DE Dacie, BB, 22 Jun., t. 25, p. 276, n. 52.

11 Higher, ch. 9, n. 6 p. 184. We quoted Schram, Theol. myst., 8233, ch. 4, t. 4 p. 408; here we reproduce the important part of his testimony, in keeping with the sentiments of Salamanca theologians and several other serious authors: "Ego ipse rains inveni that quamvis de admitsis sceleribus dolerent, and special nefarium diaboli commercium exsecrarentur, tamen illud pati cogebantur inviti... Quid autem dictum erit de animabus puris et castimonia maxime præditis? From his dico quod verum concubitum ad exercitium heroæ virtutis a Deo aliquando permisum esse, and mihi et aliis prudentibus et doctis viris optime compertum est."

: THE filthy MAGIE. In the first propositions, resistance would be less difficult; but as soon as one has bowed, the bond becomes tyrannical and indissoluble, not absolutely, but by the double effect of habit on the one hand and violence on the other.

The various interpretations given to these facts are ignored. The simplest, the most plausible is to say that demons exercise these black lurpitudes with the help of a real body or by an illusion that simulates it °.

But let us turn our eyes away from these abyss of abjection to report them to God, the source of pure and sanctifying light.

1 P, SINISTRARI D AMENO, de Dæmonialitate, et incubis et succubis, edited and translated in French by Isidore Liseux, Paris, 1875, n. 24 p. 26: Quod si quaeratur ab auctoribus quomodo posit dæmon, qui corpus non habet, cororalem comixtionem habere eum homine? Responsent communiter quod daemon aut assumeit alterius maris aut fæminæ, juxta demandiam, cadaver, aut ex mixtione aliarum materiarum effingit sibi corpus, quod movet and mediante quo homini unitur.

2 Tavyreus, from Spirit. Appears, c€. 10, n. 8, p. 30: Hoc igitur fædæ libinis exercitium propriom sibi habit in assumeptis corporibus dæmones, — Cf. S. Maroro, Dies canicul. 3, t. 2, p. 284,

Pe acer a

Chapter XVIII

The Prodigies of Magic — V. The Sabbath

Etymology of this word. — Dedium of the world written for the belief on the Sabbath. — The place and the time of these assemblies. — Fantastic journey through the tongue. — Lucifer presides, and in what form. — Why there are more women than men. — Ceremonies of admission. — The Sabbath opens with the idolatrous worship of Satan. — Mass and horrible liturgy. — Banquet. — Dances and orgies. — Lassitude and insatiable desire. — The modern Sabbath of the Freemasons. — What should we think of the legendary Sabbath? — Some facts seem favorable to the opinion of these journeys and journeys. — Evidence of the sabbath reality provided by the accused, witnesses and judges. — Evidence drawn from ecclesiastical proceedings. — Judgment of Görres on the witchcraft trials, and strangeness of his interpretations. — More logical conclusion of Mr. Bizouard on the reality of the Sabbath. — The Church's interference in the prosecution of sorcerers. — The views of demonologists and theologians on the nature of the Sabbath. — Summary.

I. — God has his feasts and temples to bring together those who worship, to hear their prayers, to receive their praises, and to dispense them with the sacraments of life through his priests. Satan, too, has his assemblies where he gathers under his

2 anidec on + > na andtu t seen 2 1471 ann piprol nn ita cest k tin se a aa mete en be pe rq y t by this mona

: MAGIE looks at the unfortunate who became his slaves, and an infamous liturgy that prostrates them at his feet in the most abject idolatry. This ignoble parody of Christian worship bears the name SABBAT.

This word, heard from demonic orgies, is never used by Latin authors, even by those who wrote in the Middle Ages, as can be assured by reading their books or by consulting the most renowned glossaries, such as Robert Estienne's Tarsaurus, for classical Latin, and the Grossarium of Cange, for the

Low Latinity. We can't find him either, believe us,

In the Castilian and Italian Idioms, it is only used in the two languages of Oc and Oil for the French regions, and in the Germanic language.

In any case, the word, like the thing itself, is linked, at least by appearances, to the idolatrous and devout cult of Bacchus. Zabesioc or Dabadios, Sabasius or Sabadius, the name of the chief god of the Phrygians, had become, among the Greeks, the nickname of the god of drunkenness t. From there cxbaleiv, celebrate the Sabazies or feasts of Bacchus, shouting in the manner of the baccillates. Zabor, cabor, saboé, saboé, was indeed the cry of the baccinants in fury, and on the Sabbath the sorcerers and witches also shouted in their splintered dances: "Sabbath, sabbath?"

By its very etymology, * the Sabbath would be connected

1 See SAINTE-CROIX, Research on the mysteries of paganism, 6° §, at. 4, t. 2, p. 93.—Arrren Maury, Hist. of the Religions of Ancient Greece, ch. 14, t. 3 p. 101.

2 Bonin, Demonomania, I. 2, ch. 4 p. 88. — Of Lancre, Table of the Devil's Inconstancy, 1. 3, d. 4 p. 212.

3 This etymology does not please Mr. Read: "We wanted, he said in his incomparable Dictionary of the French Language (word sassar), to find the etymology of the Sabbath, meeting of sorcerers, in the Sabazis; but the form does not allow it; moreover, how, in the Middle Ages, would we have known the Sabazis?" — The two incompatibilities that M. Literary reports between the Sabbath and the Sabazis do not seem conclusive. The Sabbath

AN) Es

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT- 377 to the unclean mysteries of paganism, whose demons were the gods.

I — This subject has been dealt with conscientiously, — who would doubt it? — and, whatever the free thought may say, with equal respect for philosophy and history, by most scholastic theologians, and also by jurisconsults made up of judges of these facts and no less worthy of trust than the judges of our day. Since the mocking and ignorant century that preceded ours, the Sabbath is more in the cultivated and learned world than an object of ridicule than a pitiful aberration of the Middle Ages. Alone, the superstitious people of the countryside still believe in it. If our conviction had been that of the so-called lettered publication, we would have been happy to have passed over these demeaning scenes, where man touches the last degrees of the abjection. But, looking closely at it and considering only the whole, we have seen nothing that is metaphysically feasible, nothing that is suitable for Satan's vileness and human fragility, nothing that God absolutely cannot allow. And since we have imposed on ourselves the duty to combat prejudices which, in disregard of true science and pure theology, tend to exonerate the enemy of man in his most daring manifestations, we will summarily describe what is said about these satanic orgies, and then discuss what these accounts have of possible and true.

II. — It must be agreed, what is said about the Sabbath is strange, ridiculous, inconsistent. The burlesque mingles with it

could be the continuation of Bacchus's orgies in honor, without the fact that at the middle age this relationship was suppunned. Does the people today suspect that the carnival masquerades are linked to pagan Saturnals? And yet that is how it is. As for the etymological form itself, we do not understand how sabbath repulsive to sabazies, or sahazein (oabateiy), sabadius or sabadius, cabdioos, cuëddros. The Greek letter £ answers ds and ts.

(i) (ii)

the horrible, and the childliness of abominations. If license, disorder, blasphemy, abjection, are Satan's own marks, Satan is certainly there. Let us judge by what is said about the convocation and the journey, the assembly itself, the end and the return.

The preferred meetings for these meetings would be the wild, deserted, swampy places, the peaks of the steep mountains, deep gorges, dark woods, ruins t; often also the private houses of someone of the affidae, or even, if one believes of Lancre?, churches where the revolted angel sets his throne in front of the altar and the tabernacle.

The night is the regular time of the Sabbath, and that which is suitable for the prince of darkness. Nothing prevents it from being held in broad daylight °.

It is said that it usually takes place on Thursday night, others say Monday and Saturday; but the variety of statements seems to indicate that everything depends on the whim of the master, who summons his worshippers at his own discretion. When you have to leave, a voice calls them, and they get on their way.

IV. — We go to the Sabbath in every way: to

1 Görres, Mystique, l. 8, ch. 18, t. 5, p. 197. — De Lancre, de l'In-Constat 1 psio: k

2 From the Inconstance of the Devil, 1. 1, d. 2, p. 37.

3 Deurio, Disg. mag. 1. 2, q. 16, p. 355: Conventus, ut plurimum ineuntur vel noctis mediæ silentio, quando viget potestas tenebrarum; vel interdiu meridie, quo sunt qui renoit illud Psalmistæ notum de dæmonio meridiano. Frequently, quae feriam tertiam and sextam precedent. — See. From LancrRE, from the Inconst. 1. 2, d. 4 p. 62.

4 ALPH. From Castro, from Justa heretic. 1. 1, c. 16, col. 1146: Huic dæmoni ad custodiam destinato inter alia hoc peculiare officiale commissum est, ut quotiescumque oportuerit ad ludos accedere nocturnos, ille hoc denuntiet suo clientulo, etillum deferat ad locum congregationis... Ante dues dies, eam congregationem faiiendam esse suo clientulo annunciat, horamque et locum illi declaration, ut cum tempus adventerit, sit ad veniendum paratus,

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBATUS 379 feet and simply, if the journey is not long '; when the distance is considerable, one can still go on foot, but with the speed of the wind; either one is carried by goats, light horses, or other animals, on a stick, a broom handle, a whey. It's the common train, realized, of course, by demons under these fantastic or ridiculous outsides. Sometimes you get carried away by the air, faster than the bird, without any apparent support, with fake wings or without wings?.

The prerequisite for these wonderful translations is the use of ointment or magic powder ê. The most advanced in the service and favors of the master dispense with this formality, and set themselves in motion by an act of the will or even without thinking about it, driven by an irresistible instinct. This anointing moreover by itself has no virtue, if not perhaps that of dissipating and taking away from the unwise travellers the feeling of the perils they face; but it is a kind of evil sacrament whose use carries with it the invocation at least implicit to the demon, and the renewal of the pact concluded with him.

1 Boquer, Disc. des sorcerers, ch. 16, p. 85.

2 SALMANTIC. Tr. 21, c. 11, P. 41, n. 178,t.5, p. 254: Adveniente condicta hora, evocatur quadam velut humana voce a proprio Magisterulo, vel Martinetto, aut Martinello (sic vocatur ab eis dæmon concomitans et eis deservenis), and statim sumpto pixide unctionis, in quibusdam corporis partibus se linit quodam unguento ex unguine infantium necatorum confecto; (esto sine ungento aliquando deferantur); quo linita, exit e domo and statim invenit magisterrulum suum sub forma hirci aut alterius animalis; cui insedens, and ejus crinibus apprehensis, per aera volitando, brevissimo tempore defertur ad locum fateum.

3 DELRIO, Disg. mag., 1. 2, q. 16, p. 355: Posset dæmon eas transfer sine unguento, et fait aliquando; sed unguento mavult uti varis de causis. Aliquando quia timidiores sunt sagæ, ut audeant; vel quia teneriores sunt ad horribilem illum Satanæ contactum in corpore assumepto ferendum; horum enim unite sensum obstupefacit et miseris persuadet vim unguento inesse maximam. Aliasautem id fait ut sacrosancta a Deo institua sacramenta inimice adumbret, and per has quasi cerimonias suis orgiis reverentiæ et venerationis aliquid conciliat.

V. — Lucifer presides as king and god at these sacrilegious assemblies. He takes forms that betray his perversion, his abjection, his fury: usually the goat's, because of the ugliness, the stench and the salacity of this animal, or the bull's, because of his strength and his petulance. At other times he wears the features of Phomme, but of a gigantic man, black or red, and almost always with a mixture of bestiality, having horns at his forehead, the feet of the ox or horse, the claws of the beast fawn. It also appears in the form of a tree, a huge trunk and dried up.

He sits on a high point, having beside him the queen of the Sabbath, whom he chooses from among the most beautiful and disgusting?.

From one of his horns or from his smoking mouth, there is a blafarous light that illuminates the congregation 3.

His raucous voice utters unarticulated sounds, but noisy and terrible #.

Lower demons also appear, most often in the abject form of toads, or in human appearances that cause voluptuousness.

VI. — On witnesses and actors there would be much to say if we had to tell everything. We will limit ourselves to a few points that suffice to give the sabbath physiognomy. Women are said to be more likely than men, and the authors give a number of reasons for this: the weakness of the mind which is the cause of the failure of women to take up the job.

1 See From Lancre, from the Inconst. of demons, 1. 2, d. 1, p. 67 et seq. — d. 4, D: 120. Cf. De Lancre, ibid. 1. 3, d. 5, p. 223. Cf. De Lancre, ibid. 1. 2, d.1, p. 68. Cf. Görres, Mystique, 1.8, ch. 18, t. 5, p. 206, 207.

5 In Revelation (xvi, 13), demons appear in the form of frogs. — From frog to toad, to consider only the outer configuration, there is not far away.

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT 381 makes them gullible, and the extreme impressionnability that implines them to voluptuous emotions, and, when they have given in to it by violating the laws of modesty, makes them insatiable!,

Sabbath visitors sometimes hide in bestial forms, or cover the face of a mask to remain unknown?.

VII. — The first time that one appears in the cursed assembly, one is presented to Satan, sitting on his throne, and one denies at his feet God, Jesus Christ and his most holy Mother, baptism, and. in general all holy things; one swears fidelity to the new master, who promises in return honors, riches, pleasures, revenge, in a word, everything that can flatter the depraved passions of man °.

The formal pact and denial, at least in this solemn form, are not always required: many are admitted after the mere use of the ointment, or by this alone which they have voluntarily followed one of the affiliates of the troupe.

Sometimes the demon is content with any present: a candle, a finger, a drop of blood. He thus achieves his goal, which is to enter into a confessed trade with men, which carries with them a serious sin.

1 See SPRENGER, Malleus malefic., q. 6 p. 67 et seq. — ALPH. DE CASTRO, de Justa heretic. 1. 1, ©. 46, col. 1447: Prima is nimia mulierum credulitas... Secunda causa is earumdem mulierum fragilitas and ad libidinem pronitas.

2 SALMANTICANS. Tr. 21, c. 41, P. 41, n. 179, t. 5, p. 255: Aut aperta, aut linteo velata faie, etc. — Dezrio, Disq. mag. l. 2, q. 16, p. 354: Facie interdum aperta, interdum velata larva, linteo, vel alio velamine aut persona.

3 ALPH. From Castro, from Justa her. punishes. 1. 1, ©. 16, col. 1145: Coram illo itaque adductus, is that manc sectam profiti paratur, statim debet abnegare baptismum and omnia Christianæ fidei documenta relinquere... Quo pacto et juranmento emisso, statim dæmon qui in solio sedens velut regem se illi ostenderat, hilarem frontem prætendens, promiseti illi sic stanti se daturum, quam in se non habet perpetuam felicitatem et gaudia im mensa, etc.

4 See. From Lancre, from the Inconstance of demons, 1. 3, d. 1, p: 179,

Pal rea vd tta,

Once initiated, all summonses must be faithfully met with a fine and, worse, with corporal punishment and bloody fustigation.

VHI. — The formalities of admission once completed, the Sabbath begins. The main thing is Satan's worship in the form he liked to put on, and it is usually, as we have said, that of the goat. We will not describe everything that the ceremonial has horrific and debilitating; it is impossible to translate into honest language the obscenities that it imposes?. Let us mention only a few lines of Görres, which very faithfully sums up the statements of the demonologists on the filthy peculiarities of the Sabbath. "On the throne sit a goat, or at least the shape of a goat, for the devil cannot hide what he is; his nature is always betrayed by some side. And where there is no order or measure, there can be neither beauty, nor dignity, nor majesty, but there is rather the opposite of all these things. The homage to this king is also in his forms a derisory parody of the submission that each owes to him who is above him, and at the same time expresses the most blind servitude; for the subjects of the devil pay homage to him by lowering the filthiest parts of the goat, of which he has taken the form. It is through this ceremony that all the new followers, both the children and their parents, are introduced to the unclean mysteries of hell, as well as the adults who are presented for the first time by an older person than they are. She renews herself at every big party, and the most familiar only are allowed to kiss her mouth. Everyone is approaching

1 See De Lancre, de l'Inconstance des Démons, 1.2, d.1, p.71.

2 Derno, Disg. mag.1.2, q. 16, t. 1, p. 353: Solent ad conventum delatæ dæmonem conventus præsidem in solio considerem forma terrifica, ut plurimum hirci vel canis, obverso ad illum tergo accesses, adorare... et deinde, homagii quod est indicium, osculari eum in podice.

It is

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT 383 with fear and trembling of the throne, falls to the master's feet and humbly kisses his hips; or all kneel before him by turning his back, and joining his hands from behind, and remain in that position until he commands them to stand up."

IX. — To bring to its peak the unmistakable, evil worship parody in detail the mysteries of Christian worship. The Sabbath has its mass with a reversal of liturgy that makes it worthy of its object. The regulars bring there consecrated hosts? on which they exercise the most execrable desecrations. The confession also practiced, but it consisted in accusing itself of good works done, of the evil that had been omitted, of breaches of the sacrilegious pact, or of boasting of all that had been able to work malice, impeccable, and debossed. The children, presented by their parents or trained by the megers, receive a baptism whose rites and formulas express an entire and irrevocable servitude to the demon +.

Let's hear Görres, * who gathered on this evil liturgy the echoes of tradition, the testimonies of theologians, sorcerers and their judges.

"The office usually begins with a regular confession; but instead of confessing their sins, the initiates accuse of their good works, and ask for them

1 P, GRILLAND, from Sortileg. 1. 2, c. 3, n. 6 p. 298: Isti vero qui expressam professionem fecerunt, reddunt etiam expressum cultum adoralis dæmoni per solemnia sacricia, quae ipsi faiunt diabolo, imitantes in omnibus divinum cultum, cum paramentis, luminaribus, and aliis hujusmodi, ac precibus quibusdam et orationibus quibus instructi sunt, adeo ipsum adorant et colludant continu, sicut nos verum Creatorem adoramus.

2 SALMANTICANS. Tr. 21, c. 11, P. 41, n. 178, p. 955: Eucharist sacramentum in ore servatum, coram dæmone conculcating, milleque afficiunt ignominis, ut sic gratiarem dæmoni offering cultum.

3 Bonin, Demonomania, l. 2, ch. 4 p. 87. — Bocuer, Disc. des sorcerers, c. 21, p. 112.

4 From Lancre, from the Inconstance, 1. 2, d. 3 p. 116-118.

5 Mystique, 1.8, ch. 24, t. 5, p. 224.

: MAGIE to master absolution. This one, raising his left arm, absits them and gives them for penance to eat meat on Friday and Saturday, or something similar. After the confession, the demon put on priestly clothes, and said Mass, omitting the Confiteor and the Alleluia; he marmots the rest in a book that he holds with his left hand. He sits at the offertory, and the assistants come with black candles to worship. After having fucked her by shaking her left hand, they present to her as an offering bread, eggs, etc., which the queen, standing by her side, receives in a dish. He is also offered silver, and especially coins that do not bear the cross. When they present them to him who have the cross, he turns away. After the homage comes the sermon, preached by the diabie himself, in the form of a goat, or by some magician. In the first case, the demon usually exposes to the assembly how he is their true god.And how those who seek another can not perform their salvation. He ended by recommending that they pursue Christians. In the second case, the purpose of the sermon is to arouse the helpers to do evil, to slander the innocent and to help the guilty, as well as to bring to the demon a large number of children. Then we continue the Mass...

"It is not always the demon who offends, but he is sometimes replaced by priests; for the priestly character does not preserve man from the sabbath infamys, as evidenced by the investigations carried out in the country of Labourd and elsewhere. The first one who was accused in Gascony was the priest of Ascain, He was an old man; and he confessed himself - that twenty years ago he was sitting on the Sabbath, that he had renounced God, and received Satan's priesthood in place of the divine priesthood, of which he had been clothed before... He named the people whom he had seen on the Sabbath, and two witnesses also declared that they had seen him there. He repeated three times his

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT 385 statement in writing before his judges and bishop, and continued there until death... Two of the most compromised, P. Bocal, aged 27 years, and Migalena, aged sixty-one, were brought before the courts. It happened that the first belonged to a family that passed to be given to magic. Seventy witnesses declared that they had seen him on the Sabbath, and accused him of having, the night before his first Mass, celebrated the demon's mass with a great pomp on the Sabbath. When asked about this, he replied that he had wanted to practice saying Mass. Both were degraded and executed!"

X. — In the divine liturgy, the feast follows the sacrifice; the same is true on the Sabbath. All the statements agree to talk about the banquet that Satan offers to his guests, on various tables where each one sits according to his rank? By the prestiges familiar to the spirit of lies, everything appears on these tables succulent and magnificent; in reality, the dishes that are served there are the most infective, filthiest, most dispossessing *: rotten flesh of bodies of men or animals, flesh of unbaptized children, naturally dead or violently massacred for the sake of the

`circumstances`.

1 See De Lancre, Vinconstance Painting, 1. 6 d. 3 p. 458-466. — Boçier, Disc. des sorcerers, c. 21, p. 114: Sometimes it is said the Sabbath Mass; but I laugh and write without horror the way in which it is famous, etc. — Scuorr, Phys. curiosa, 1.1, ©. 22, 86, p. 76.

2 Decrio, Disq. mag., l. €2. 16, p. 353: Solent diversæ mensæ esse, tres vel quartet, cibis interdum delicatissimis, interdum valde insipidis et insulsis onustae, quibus pro dignitate aut opibus singuli locantur.

3 Salmantic. Tr. 21, ©. 41, P. 41, n. 179,t.5, p. 255: Convincing of cibis a se vel adæmone allatis, interdum delicatismis, and interdum insipidis ex infantibus occisis aut cadaveribus exhumatis, precedente tamen benedictione mensæ tali cætu digna.

4 Of Lancre, Tabl. of Vinconst. of demons, I. 3, d. 3 p. 197: The table parmy the faictile world friends; the devil acquires his supposts or wants to acquire them by this means; for after he has walked them by deceit and deceitful instrumens, he leads them to the table as friends and com-

S E E E e e e abe E E O

Whatever you eat there, you get more hungry than ever. The bread often misses, it is said, at these feasts, and the salt tou-

days. "There's never any salt," said Bogague °, "what's happening?

for that salt is a symbol of immortality, which the devil has extremely hated; besides that God commanded that salt be measured in all sacrifices and oblations made to him, where it comes from that one serves the baptism which is a sovereign antidote against the power of the devil; it can be added that since salt is a sign of wisdom, God, by secret judgment, does not allow it to be used on the Sabbath, to give to the sorcerers to cognister that all that they do is pure folly."

XI. — The orgies of voluptuousness follow those of the table. They open with frenetic dances where the laws of decency and harmony are also outraged. Let Görres è describe us, after Lancre { and the other demonologists ë, this terrible orchestra and these hideous bacchanals.

"The energy of nature is manifested in the movements it operates in the beings that are subject to it. Thus the natural instinct that carries the sexes one to another, produced these voluptuous dances that one meets almost in all peoples under various names, like the fan-

Mensal, but he's not doing it right. For to the truth, none of our sorcerers have told us that we make tables on the Sabbath, that the tablecloth seems golden and that we serve all kinds of good food with bread, salt and wine. But the bulk of the better-heard witches confess to dictation at the back, that they serve only toaps, flesh of hangers, carrions that are deburied and ripped away cemeteries, freshly grounded, flesh of unbaptized d'enfans or dead beasts of their own, that with this they eat nothing that is not insipid, waiting that one never put salt in it.

1 5. Maioro, Dies canic., c. 3, t. 2, p. 268.

2 Speech of the sorcerers, ch. 21, p. 110.

3 Mystique „l. 8, ch. 19: 5, p. 211.

4 Demon Inconstancy Chart, 1. 3, disc. 4 p. 204-213.

Cf. Bonin, Treaty of Demonomy, 1.9, c. 4 p. 88-89. — BOGUET, Disc, des sorcerers, Ch. 21, p: 106.

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT 387 dango, the sarabands and the other dances of this kind. When the evil inclinations lying at the bottom of the human heart have found their master and accepted his yoke, he prints them certain determined movements which, taking the form of a dance, symbolically express the relationship of servitude in which they are towards the demon. But, since there can be no harmony in evil, the music that directs these movements is dissonant, confused and unpleasant to the ears... The Sabbath dance is precisely the counter-foot of the regular movement of ordinary dances; for it must express a false and disorderly relationship. The master is seated in the middle of the band, when he does not mingle with her, and from his seat he contemplates these developments seriously, whispering occasionally unarticulated sounds; the initiates, naked or in shirt, dance in circles around him and turn his back. Every witch has his demon next to her. All, with their hands on their backs, stand and always turn to the left side with the most obscene movements. According to the statements of the initiates, there are three types of dances: one similar to that of the Bohemians, and this is the one found in the Land of Labourd; the other is a round composed of jumps, like that of the peasants; in the third finally, the dancers are placed in a straight line one after the other, but the man and the woman turn their backs, move away, get closer by a cadenced movement and clash brutally. Sometimes, however, they are placed in such a way that each of the two partners, in turn, turns their faces outside, while the other turns them towards the middle, and so dances in circles all together. This way of turning one's backs to the other expresses the disorder that governs these dances."

These lascivious, extravagant, brutal dances prelude to

the most unbridled promiscuity. Indecentness forbids us to address, even by means of quotations, the horrors that most demonologists are trying to translate. It is enough, too perhaps, to say that all the excesses of sexual immorality meet there, sacrilege, lincest, sodomy, bestiality, always demonic commerce. De Lancre, recounting the dissolutions which he had found in the numerous procedures instructed by him in the Labourd, enters into inexpressible details, and declares that he was half of them. The filthy accounts before which he did not recede are consistent with the traditions that exist in other countries, in the various provinces of France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and England.

XII. — The Sabbath ends before the dawn of the day and the song of the cock +. Everyone returns in the same way he came. The demons lend their help in the various forms we have spoken of, and bring their clients either to their homes or to their beds.

However, these trips are not always without a shadow. The slightest sign of faith and religion is enough to cause the evil spirit to fail. It is above all invocations and symbols which have a special effectiveness for this purpose: for example, the blessed names of Jesus and Mary, the sign of the cross, the sound of the bells?" There are several facts of unfortunate sorcerers abandoned by the demons who wore them, to the unexpected ringing of the Angelus.

More often than not, the infernal assembly was dissolved.

1 Of Lancre, Tabl. of the Inconst. of demons, 1. 2, d, 5. All this talk is about this: "From the CoQ, , that it is heard on the Sabbath, it dissipates by its song and faict esvanoüir the whole assembly."

.? Simon Majoro, Dies canicules, coll. 3, t. 2, p: 294.

and scattered with fearful confusion by one of these spontaneous acts of religion, escaped the faith or the fear of some neophyte, some intruder, who, out of curiosity or violence, was involved in the cursed gang. But these crimes of satanic lèse-majesté are almost always punished by the death of those who introduced the disruptors.

We come back from these orgies broken by fatigue, women mainly t. And yet these unfortunate victims speak of the Sabbath as a paradise on earth where everything is melody, suavity, drunkenness. The long hours they spend in these stunning concussions seem to them moments, and nothing can soften the regret of seeing them finish that the hope of returning soon?.

These are shorthand descriptions of the Sabbath, as can be read in the theologians and jurists of the xvi® and xvn, who have dealt with demonology. It's time to ask what basis these testimonies are based on, whether these stories express dreams of imaginative delusions, or whether the earth has ever seen these scenes.

1 Of LANCRE, Table of the Inconstituent of the Demons, 1. 3, d. 5, p. 224-226.

2 DE Lancre, 2bid. 1. 2, d. 4 p. 195: Jeanne Dibassona, twenty-nine years old, tells us that the Sabbath is the vray paradise, where there is much more pleasure than one can express; that those who go there find the time so short, with pleasure and contentment, that they can leave without a wonderful regret, so that it will delay them infinitely that they will return. Mary of the Ralde, twenty-eight years old, very beautiful woman, who has left this abomination for five or six years, deposits that she was a witch and attended the Sabbaths and then ten years old...; that she saw a singular pleasure to go to the Sabbath, so that when she was venerated to go there, she alloited as if to no avail; not so much for freedom and license..., but because the devil so tenous their hearts and wills, that hardly let him enter any other desire; besides that the witches believed to go to any place where there were a hundred thousand things. strange and new to see, and hear there so many diverse and melodious instrumens that they are delighted and believe in some earthly paradise,

Aa had one dates + aa ie s t

despicable and ungodly, this horrible mixture of blasphemy,

extravagance, abominations.

XIII. — If we consider the Sabbath in its general meaning, as an appointment of the slaves of the demon to worship it with sacrilegious rites, and to abandon ourselves in its presence, which is shown to the most infamous of turpitudes, we believe ourselves in a position to affirm, by what we have read and by what has been entrusted to us, that the Sabbath is not a ridiculous legend, but a real fact, more than once repeated, even today.

We would like to be able to doubt this, but the statements made by witnesses and actors who have been unable to concert, hardly allow it; — it is assured that in some more clandestine meetings, the high affiliates of secret societies are engaged in desecrations on the divine Eucharist, and that, more than once, Satan appears in the midst of them in a sensitive form, receives their homages and arouses by his presence to the last excesses of impeccability and lubricity. The masses of affiliates do not share, even ignore these turpitudes; but they are of tradition and use among the most advanced in this satanic work!.

XIV. — But, it will be said, this is not the true Sabbath, these night assemblies, at the top of a mountain, at the bottom of a wild gorge, on the ruins of an old manor house, in the dark thickness of a forest, in the midst of dry moors, where run in the night, from every corner of the horizon, clouds of witches and witches mounted on goats, riding on a broom handle, or crossing-

1 Lecanu, History of Satan, ch. 19, p. 407: They are the sons of Gnostics, and their origins are confused with those of the satanic societies of the Middle Ages. To God pleases only we impute them, even in one point and for a single moment (Za concession is too wide and in opposition to the facts), the manners and practices of such ancestors. They are the sons of villains, but they are depraved and become great lords (!).

MAGIC PRODIGES: THE SABBAT 391, which is the space without any apparent support; and there pay homage to the king of the underworld, sit down at a fantastic banquet, engage in furious sarabands, and then to vast voluptuous people, and, before the first rays of dawn, resume their flight and quietly return each one to his home.

On this Sabbath, what should we think about it and what should we believe?

If one wants to pay attention to it, there is little between the Sabbath of the Freemasons and that of the sorcerers than accidental differences; the bottom is the same: the worship of Satan, the desecration of holy things, the overflowing of fornication.

We would gladly grant that satanic consticles no longer have the form of the past, and that the Sabbath described by Sprenger, Bodin, Boguet and Lancre, is rare among us. Satan varies according to the times and the places the staging of his interventions, thus achieving a double goal, to alight by the novelty and to veil himself by the very diversity of his manifestations.

XV. — Let us consider what has happened to the sabbatical assemblies or what has happened to them.

It is not doubtful, first of all, that most witches and witches were not convinced that they were attending the Sabbath. The spontaneous confessions made by them in countless witchcraft trials do not allow any hesitation in this regard.

But are these congresses and trips real or only imaginary?

Some facts seem to favour interpretation that brings them back to purely subjective hallucinations. Indeed, there are several cases where women gave to witchcraft, and who pretended to cross by a fast flight of great distances by rubbing themselves with a magical ointment,

: THE MAGIE was in demand to prove what they were moving forward, to take care of this wonderful specific, but instead of taking the air and disappearing, they were immediately seized with deep lethargy, and when they woke up, they made sure that they had been in these assemblies, told what they had seen, the meals they had made, the pleasures they had intoxicated +.

That, in such cases, the scene does not go beyond the boundaries of imagination, it can be assumed, although the conclusion is not peremptory; for finally, the prestige that deceives the witch and makes her believe that she runs the spaces, could just as well delude the spectators and affect them as if the witch were there, while she is no longer there. But to infer from these trials that the Sabbath is never and can only be imaginary, that is to contradict reason, to exceed the data of experience and to ignore other facts no less decisive in the opposite sense, is finally to exit from the common teaching.

XVI. — There is certainly imprudentness and irreflexion in revolting in the name of reason against the eccentricities of the Sabbath, for reason has nothing to oppose the possibility, either intrinsic or extrinsic of these kinds of facts. Moreover, whoever knows the nature of the fallen angels will judge that such excesses are not above their strength and perverseness, nor beyond their desires. Lucifer, their prince, is greedy until the folly of the divine honors which he coveted from the beginning, and he is no less eager for everything that can contribute to the ruin of men. Prodigies

1 SUAREZ, from Superst. v. 16, n. 23, t. 13, p. 582: Huic opinioni favent aliquæ experimentientiæ queæ renunciur... de quibusdam feminis maleficis, quae dicebant media quadam unctione ferri ad loca remoteissima, in quibus aliarum similium consortio et omni:voluptate perfruebantur. And tamen ad sumensam experientiam, sese coram aliis unxerunt, and statim gravie sopore correptæ in eodem loco jacuerunt, donec ad se redierunt, and tamen narrabant ad illa loca et convivia fuisse persctas.

Set ješ sensitive Sabbath demonstrations lead him to this double goal, the adoration of his person and the loss of his worshipers.

The most surprising thing in these assemblies is the appearance of demons and aerial flight. We have already recognized the possibility and reality of the evil epiphanies, and, with Suarez ‘, declared this point so well known that there would be temerity to contest it. As for the rapid transfer of sorcerers through spaces, there is no reason to deny the demon the power to operate. The angel of the Lord carried the prophet Baruch from Judea to Babylonia; why could not the fallen angel do the same? How can we hesitate, moreover, when we see Jesus Christ carried by the tempter, from the desert on the pinnacle of the temple, and from there on the top of a mountain, saints transferred in the same way, and by the same hands of one place to another? What Satan has been able to do about the saints and the Saint of the saints, to tempt them, he can certainly do about sinners with a plan of pride, blasphemy and corruption.

That if we want to reject man and contest that he is capable of such audacity and shame, we will answer that human weakness, like the malice of our enemy, is unmeasurable.

To objections from the ridicule and turpitudes of the details, we would still reply that, everything that is dissonant, low, abject, far from excluding the demon, calls him, reveals him and betrays his presence. The exhibitions of obscenities, impiousness, monstrosities, by which he will try to throw man into the astonishment, to engage him, to degrade him, will exceed anything man could imagine in this kind. On the Sabbath, the measure is fulfilled,

1 De Angelis, 1. h, ©. 33, n. 5,t. 2, p. 537: Ita comprêtio est certa et communis theologorum, et ita conformis Scripturæ et sensui Ecclesiae, ut non posit sine magna temeritate negari.

If one wants, but this very excess, far from contradicting: the possibility of the fact, helps to establish it.

XVII. — The best proof of possibility is the facts. Now these facts are so multiplied and so well attested, that according to the measured expression of Tostat!, I famous bishop of Avila, imprudence to deny them. On this point, we have on this point, the formal confessions, repeated and maintained, of the very actors of the Sabbath, the testimonies of countless witnesses who have witnessed or observed these evil scenes without taking part in them. Several secular judges have passed on to us the procedures that they had conducted or followed; the existence of these misdemeanours, which were once punished with the most severe punishments, detachs from them with the brilliance of the evidence. Jean Bodin (1530-1596), a lawyer at the Paris Parliament, summarized his experiences and knowledge in this area in his . Nicolas Remi, a criminal prosecutor in Lorraine, after having tried, from 1581 to 1585, nearly nine hundred people accused of witchcraft, also recorded the results of his investigations in his three books on the Demononarrae (1595). Henri Boguet, Grand Judge in the Franche-Comté, published his at the same time, and added a valuable instruction to the use of judges in witchcraft. Stone of Lancre (m. 1630), adviser to the Court of Bordeaux, which, by the order of Henri IV, was entrusted, with the President of Espaignet, to purging the Basque countries from the canker of witchcraft (1609), left us the precise details of its procedures in his - (1612), where the ordinary grievance is the Sabbath. We can question the theology of these magistrates, which, in fact, on more than one point, we can see that the

Univ Matth. q. 47, t. 18, p. 410: Ista igitur vulgata sunt, nec quisquam nisi imprudenter ea negare potrit,

Î ear ay

nothing allows me to suspect in them the common sense and conscience of the judge, nor the sincerity of the historian, if not the bias taken to repel the things they testify to.

XVII. — Could the authority and competence of the royal jurists be overturned, the ecclesiastical courts that have functioned for more than three centuries in almost all parts of Christendom. It will therefore be necessary to assume that, to the great dishonour of religion, the correctness and attention of the mind, the true doctrine or the most vulgar probity, have failed these priests, the religious, the theologians who have heard, examined, judged a multitude of unfortunate hallucinators, accused and convinced, on their own confession, of the imaginary mischief of the Sabbath. Several of these ecclesiastical commissioners recorded in their writings the results of their information, their experiences, their deep studies: among others Jacques Sprenger, of the order of Saint-Dominique, officially entrusted by Innocent VIII to suppress the attacks of magic in the northern parts of Europe, and Alphonse de Castro, Franciscan religious, preacher and confessor of Charles-Quint, who died in Brussels in 1558, before having taken possession of the archbishopric of Compostela, to which he had been appointed.

Sprenger exposes in his MALLEUS MALEFICARUM, now the manual of the inquisitors, the rules to follow in witchcraft cases. The author and his book have often been articulated against him with extreme severity. We believe that he has complied for the punishments of his time, and as for the rules he sets for the investigation of the case, they breathe to an equal degree the science of the theologian and the caution of the judge.

Alphonse de Castro is the author of an important book entitled De . It also determines the legal form of these kinds of cases, and it

especially devotes to witches and their night trips a long chapter that we would like to reproduce in full, because it contains a brief and faithful summary of everything that is said about the Sabbath +.

XIX. — Gürres, as scrupulous as to report facts as fanciful in interpretations, pays tribute to the sincerity and prudence of the judges who had to rule on the crime of witchcraft. "We would be unfair," he said, "to the judges responsible for informing against the crimes of magic, and especially to those who lived in better times, if it were imagined that they were proceeding lightly, and that they were alien to any sense of humanity. They never hid that they were walking on an uncertain and mobile terrain... So we see in the parliaments of France the first jurisconsults of the time undertake these investigations, and carry out them with a very remarkable prudence and skill... We have no reason to assume that ecclesiastical courts are proceeding with less caution, although their task was more difficult, because they had to deal with the very substance of things, which the secular courts avoided as much as they could."

Görres then enumerates the observed precautions and the course followed in these procedures; and, nothing miserious-. leuse! it is not to conclude to the reality of the Sabbath, but only to prove the illusion and good faith of the judges. For him +, he thinks he explains everything by the insight given by evil ecstasy. "Everything considered," he says elsewhere, "between all the facts that are quoted, in order to prove that the witches' night excursions

1 L.1, C. 16, col. 1144-1153.

2 Mystique, l. 8, ch. 40, t. 5, p. 429-430. 3 Ibid., p. 430-443.

4 Mystique, 1.8, ch. 17, t. 5, p. 193.

is real, it is not a single one that obviously demonstrates what one wants to demonstrate. It is true that several saints, in ecstasy, sometimes acquired a specific lightness that allowed them to rise above the earth. But nothing prevents us from believing that the body can acquire the same faculty through the operation of the demon. But we do not see in the lives of the saints that these phenomena occurred in a large number of characters at once... Is it reasonable to assume that God leaves more space and play for the demon and his prestige than he kept for himself with regard to the saints? There is therefore no other way to explain most of the facts of this kind, but to assume a vision produced by a demonic ecstasy."

To change his conclusions, the German scholar had only to remember the stories he had just made, and to think of those he still reserved for his readers. Nothing is more harmful to logic than the system spirit. It is judged by the following facts which we could have borrowed from the first sources, but which we like to copy more textually in the very work of Görres, in order to better demonstrate how easily it can be interpreted.

"The bishop of Pamplona, Pr. de Sandoval, in his History of Charles-Quint, tells the following fact, on the occasion of a trial of sorcerers that was brought before the Council of State of Navarre. Wanting to convince himself by his own eyes of the truth of the facts, of which the witches were accused, he promised his grace to one of them if she wanted to exercise in his presence her magical works. She accepted the proposal, and only asked that he be given back his box, which had been taken away from him. She went up on a tower with the commissioner and many other people; then, having set herself at a window, she rubbed herself with her

ointment of the palm of the hand, kidneys, elbow joints, lower arm, shoulders and left side. Then she shouted with a loud voice: "Are you one?" And all the attendants heard in the air a voice that answered, "Yes, I am." The magician then began to descend from the tower, with her head down, using her feet and her hands as a squirrel. When she arrived about in the middle of the tower, she took her flight, and the attendants followed her with the eyes until the horizon had been removed from their eyes. They were all amazed; and the commissioner had publicly announced that he who would deliver this woman again would have a considerable sum of money as a reward. She was brought back after two days by shepherds who had found her. The commissioner asked her why she had not flown further, in order to escape those who were looking for her; she replied that her master had only wanted to take her to three leagues of the way, and had left her in a field where the shepherds had found her.

"Llorente, in his History of the Inquisition, recounts this trial in which more than 150 people were involved, who were punished either by whipping or by prison. This fact is similar to that of this brave Indian, whom several Englishmen saw flying in the air on a stick, It is not always necessary, Görres continues with unerring assurance, to attribute the facts of this kind to the influence of the demon. So Remi tells that one day, in the German Vosges and near Huncaria, a violent storm rose, accompanied by thunder and lightning, shepherds who were in the fields sought refuge with their flocks in a wood. There they suddenly saw two peasants who were suspended at the top of a tree, and who seemed so troubled that it was easy to see that it was not of them.

Magical wonders: Sabbath 1130

Even, but by an accident that they had arrived there. The condition of their mud-covered garments aroused the suspicions of the shepherds, and made them believe that it was perhaps the devil who had carried them on those trees; especially since, after some time, they came down from them when they were not looked at, and disappeared. Having been taken later, they spontaneously confessed what the shepherds had said about them. Another time, in Belmont, two men, one Rothar, and another named Amant, were cast into a hurricane from the top of a cloud on a roof. The first worried a lot about how they could go down to the ground; but the other replied: "A fool you are, don't be afraid; he in whose power we are can do much more." In fact, a stomp took them immediately and laid them on the ground without them having any harm..."

Görres adds two more facts, one borrowed from Remi, and the other from Delrio, then further away from new stories of the same kind. Here the imagination is obviously powerless to explain everything: do we think that the author of the evil mystic will finally relate these phenomena to whom by right, that is to say to the demon? No, he needs less, for all this, according to him, is nothing but natural. This end of quote will be our only answer: "Of the facts we have just mentioned, the first are confirmed by legal statements, and for the last, Delrio appeals to a large number of eyewitnesses. They must therefore be based on a true background. On the other hand, when it comes to such a fact, one must always seek to explain it by natural causes; and explanations of this kind must be admitted until they seem obviously insufficient. In the first three cases, a violent storm had risen. It's not natural, I agree, that we're looking for a shelter against the storm on the trees.

or on the roofs; but it is possible that these men were carried there by a tomb; and it would not be surprising if they had lost the presence of spirit, and in their trouble they had attributed this accident to the demon. Where circumstances make this explanation impossible, the ones provided by sleepwalking t must be used."

XX. — At the judgment of Görres, constantly faithful to the tactic of suppressing, as far as he can, the supernatural, and of reducing when it is necessary, we prefer the one carried by Mr. Bizouard, following an abundant presentation of the facts that we regret not being able to reproduce.

"The Sabbath is very real," said the demonologists, "for

Not only have sorcerers everywhere confessed, but reliable people have seen him. A thousand peculiarities, a thousand proofs of obvious, palpable facts, prove that what is said about them is not the effect of an injured imagination. What shows that the Sabbath is not a dream is that all say that several of them are masked, that the rounds are done back to back; their motive is, in the case of prosecution of one of the accused, to avoid in the interrogations that he denounces his accomplices... °. Everything about the sabbath of the different countries is like the bottom, but varies a little in each country as to the details. We have seen that the demon takes different forms, that Mass is celebrated there with some differences for ceremonies, clothes, etc. It is obvious that the witches do not repeat a fe entirely done; they tell in each country what has struck them in what is happening there... There are visible facts; not dreams, not a narrative that all repeat ‘. '

Mystique, 8, ch. 17, t. 5, p. 184-188,

Man's relationship with the demon, 1. 45, c. 5, t. 3 p. 402 3 Ibid., p. 411.

^ Ibid., p. 411 and 412.

XXI. — The authority seems to us to grant these historical assertions a favor which it would be as if it were to ignore or despise.

Who knows that the Church has given her hands to the prosecution and the severity of the witches, and especially to the fact that they attended the Sabbath? The inquisition, whose abuses are attributable, if one wishes, to the civil power which made it an instrument of despotism, but whose institution, it must be recognized and not blushing, remains at the charge of the Catholic Church, proceeded not only against the heresy, but also against the superstitious practices, and mainly against witchcraft, which one rightly regarded as a form of heresy. Now, if the Sabbath is only a dream, a hallucination, it is necessary to conclude that the Church was manoeuvring in the void and in the iniquity, which she pursued and reached only shadows, or rather than deceived, hallucinated herself, she was cruelly hitting innocent people and madmen. Think and speak this way who will: such a thought will never invade our faith; never this language will be on our lips.

XXII. — Let us recognize, however, that faith is independent of these solutions, and theology itself is not unanimous in imposing them. In order to accurately render the opinion of the theologians in this matter, it is necessary to distinguish between the possibility and the actual fact. We do not believe that the possibility is the subject of any dissent between Catholics. In fact, there is also agreement to bring back, in some cases, the so-called night trips of witches and witches to a pure work of imagination. The whole question is whether these fantastic scenes are constantly imaginary, or whether, in some more or less repeated encounters, they present an undeniable external reality. Several of the most distinguished representatives

of theological science inclined towards the first solu- 111 96

Ase

The idea of evil ecstasy is sufficient to explain the impressions and statements of witches. Bergier! is too resolutely speaking in this direction; Benoît XIV?, Concina ê, Cajetan 4, and others of great renown, seem favorable, without absolutely rejecting the opposite opinion, or rather admitting it for cases of exception. However, the second opinion, which affirms the real and external existence of the Sabbath, seems to us to be the most common and most motivated. To the demonologists themselves, who have specifically dealt with these matters, such as Sprenger, Grilland, Delrio, $7, Binsfeld, Castro, Schott, and Simon Maiolo, all of whom declare themselves to be in the affirmative, join the leaders of common theology: Tostat £, the Salmanticenses ©, Lessius *, Sanchez ®, Sylvius #, Saint Liguori. Suarez %, including theological appraisals

1 Dict. of theology, word SORCELLERIE, t. 7 p. 448-450.

2 From Serv. Dei beatif., T ba P.1, 0.3, n. 3, t. 4, p. 44.

STheol. Christian., 1. 3, 4 2.%c.19; n.5,1.3Np.b

5 Malefic Malleus, q. 1, c. 3 p. 185.

6 De Sortileg., q. 7 p. 261.

Disg. magicis 1. 2, q: 10, tA, p. 350;

8 De Confess. malefic., Præl. 10, p. 67.

- What? From Justa heret. punishes., ©. 16.

10Physcurosis, e AOSS PI

11 Canicular Dies, Coll. 3, t. 2, p. 292.

12 In c. 4 Matth. q. 47, t. 18, p. 410: Multos enim scimus which almost in momento de locis remoteibus ad alia se loca transtulerunt, deserveneibus sic dæmonibus ad hoc, which principles maleficorum sunt. And istud ita manifestum is quod imprudentia sit illud negare, cum thousand nobis occult testes that sibi horum consciously sunt.

13 Theol. mor. Tr. 21, c. 41, P. 11, n. 171, t. 5, p. 244: Vera and communis doctorum sentisia est.

14 Of Justitia, 1. 2, ©. 44, d. 3, n. 45, p. 539: Notandum is non deesse that negent sagas reipsa transferred to dæmone...; sed hec sententia falsa est and reipublicæ perniciosa.

15 In Decalog., 1. 23-0: 40, n. 6.

16 In 1 P. D. Thom., q. 51, a. 2, t. 1, p. 385, ad fin.

WeTheol- monalo 143, Tr. Mcdd. Sn 10.26.

18 De Relig. tr. 8, 1.2, c. 17, n. 24,t. 13, p. 582: Hæc is sententia communis theologorum and juristarum.

The x

Two centuries ago, this agreement between theologians and jurists was said to be so secure. He goes further; he openly aligns himself with the great number. What decides this is, first, the possibility of these wonders and the tendency of the demon to idolatrous worship that is given to him in these assemblies; then the innumerable depositions of the actors and witnesses; and finally, the judgments of the judges who have experienced these misdeeds and had to repress them with all the severity of the laws. He concluded with Tostat that it would be imprudent to deny these facts as a whole. He nevertheless concedes that they are sometimes circumscribed in the imagination; but, according to him, it is the exception: as a general rule, these scenes are true and external?.

Like those of whom he shares his sentiment, Suarez objectes and discusses the so-called canon of the council of Ancyre, which deals with pure and unhealthy illusions the night races which boast to make some wicked women, carried, they say, by horses through the spaces, following Diane and Herodias, and pronounces that to give credit to such fables is to lose faith. By admitting the authority of this document, which, according to some, would emanate from the Pope Saint Damascus,‘ and, whatever its origin, is recommended by its insertion in the decree of

1 De Relig., p. 583: Recte ergo dixit Abulens. non-pose hoc prudent negari.

2 Ibid. n. 25, p. 583: Interdum totum hoc fait per illusionem phantasiæ, ut probant experientiæ priorities opinionis; sæpius autem vere et realiter fiunt, saltem quantum ad translationem localm et similim actionem. And special emptyur esse regulare, aliud altem veluti per exceptionem, quam fortasse ideo dæmon interdum fait ut whoretur semper ita proudi et non vere.

3 Ibid. No. 26 and 27.

4 Baronius, Annal. eccl., 314, n. 89, t. 3 p. 606: Appendixm illam duorum capitulorum ad synodum Ancyranam non habet editio cresconiana, nec alia; perperamque eadem adscribundur huic synodo, quae sunt potius Damaso tribenda, ut suo loco dicemus. — Cf. Ibid. year. 382, n. 20 and 22, t. 5, p. 493.— Item Binet and CossarD, Collect. conc. Conc. Ancyran. year. 314, t, 2, p. 72.

: THE Grateful Magie!, it is enough to take it in its content to justify it, without it being necessary to extend it to the transport of witches, or to infer the negation of the Sabbath: it is difficult to ride in the air following Diane, mythological character, and of Herodias, who has existed too much, but who, since her death, saved or damned, cannot lead the choir of witches.

In any case, the high antiquity of the canon becomes a peremptory proof that the sabbath is not, as has been claimed, an imaginary conception entirely unheard of having the Middle Ages?.

XXHI. — Our opinion on the Sabbath does not differ from that of these illustrious theologians, and here it is in summary. Taken in themselves, these hideous scenes are only too suitable for abject, violent, perverse morals of demons, and if God does not obstruct them, it does not seem to us doubtful that Satan does realize them. For execrable though these idolatry, servitude and immorality are, God can allow them, as he allows other forms of temptation and sin. On the other hand, we believe in man enough credulity, fragility, and recklessness to be trained in these degrading orgies. Therefore, when there is sufficient evidence, we would accept the facts of this nature as we admit the other facts of history.

However, it seems to indicate that, while these odious mussels were common in other times, they are rare today or are renewed only in another form, no less worthy of reprobation and horror.

1C. Episcopy, ©. 26, q. 5, ©. 42. — Annot. Ant. NALDI, t. Four, collar. 900, not. a; In conciliano Ancyrano græco aut Latino, only impresso neque manuscripto, is inventum; liquet qui tomos Conciliarum ediderunt assertant haberi in quodam vetusto codice 16 librorum partialium.

2 See BizouarD, Man's Rapp with the Devil; 1. 15, ch. 5, t. 3 p. 42.

Chapter XIX

Magical Procedures — I. Incantatory Procedures

The devil's sacraments, the parody of the divine sacraments, bring in rapport with the devil, as they relate to God.— Their variety and classification.—The charms.—The composition of them.—The beneficent, pernicious, voluptuous, prestigious charm.—The incantations or magical words.—The use of them.—The phylacteries or ligatures.—The amulets.—The talismans.—The vain observances.—The collections of witchcraft and magic.

To get in touch with the demon, either for the first time or in subsequent operations, with open face or only to obtain an effective intervention, magic indicates and implements strange means, matched with the purpose they are intended to achieve, hideous assemblage of abject puerility, eccentric phenomena, incoherent blasphemes.

These magical means are, in essence, only the parody of the Christian sacraments.

God has sensitive signs of spiritual things, in order to grasp man in his dual nature and to penetrate to his soul through the channel of the senses, taking care of preala-

E to sty $ + + r kt y

This is the reason why we should warn ourselves that under this bark we are hiding them.

mysteries of his word and the sources of his life. These sacraments and symbols form the substance of the Catholic liturgy.

The monkey of God, who claims to dispute with him the honor of attracting man and ruling him, reproduces in his own way these symbolic rites. He also attaches to formulas, to artificial or natural signs, his evil action, like God, in a plan of sanctification and love, establishes in it the salutary virtue of his grace.

Whatever they may be, these signs are by themselves ineffective; all their virtue comes to them from the express or tacit agreement between the prince of evil and his unfortunate slaves, or, at most, from their strangeness which makes them adopt by Satan, as more able to cover his intervention.

Almost always they present the two aspects that the School points out in the divine sacraments, matter and form, that is, external realities, acts or things, and the words that determine their meaning. However, one of these elements remains unchanged, so that they can be considered separately as separate processes.

We must now describe these evil sacraments.

I. — They are multiple, indefinite, undefinable by their very variety and incoherence. Some are of all time; but from far to far, unforeseeable ones arise, which multiply the fools by the bait of novelty. How can we introduce order into this tenuous and changing chaos? However, let us try to regularize our march in the exhibition of such complex facts, bringing them back to sufficiently characterized groups and staggering in a logical order.

As we have said in exposing the wonders of magic, man binds with the demon to obtain an extrahuman virtue of knowing, harming or enjoying; and, in order to realize these effects, he simply demands the help of the demon or he calls upon him, and the demon responds to his invocation under one appearance or another. The procedures by which one operates a good or a evil can be called INCANTATORIES; those whose purpose is to discover the hidden things, DIVINATORIES; and finally those which have the effect of bringing in spirits in a sensitive form, EVOCATORES, by giving the latter word a meaning different from that which it has in the language of jurisconsultes. This division must be complete, since it responds to all the magical phenomena.

Let us begin with the presentation of the incantatory means, and then we will deal successively with the procedures used for divination and evocation.

II. — The external signs attached to evil influences of enjoyment or malfeasance bear the name of cmarms, and these effects are called incantatory. These words come from the Latin CARMEN, verses, poetry, by extension, enchantment; which can be understood as a good or bad fascination exercised by a higher power, or a regulated formula from which one must not free oneself. "

The incredulous, and also many believers, find it pleasant to laugh at superstitious charms like shams without real efficiency, imagined by weak and sick spirits, and only able to disturb them again.

1 BerGier, Dict. de théol., word care, t. 2, p. 97: This word comes from the Latin carmen, which means, not only verses or poetry, but a formula of definite words which must not be removed; the laws, formulas of jurisconsults, declarations of war, clauses of a treaty, evocations of gods, etc. were named.

Del ee te bts con re totre

: THE Church takes more seriously these maüdite inventions which, to be childish in appearance, by the fact, are no less formidable. In its prescriptions to exorcists, it is to inquire if the evil is not due to a sensitive charm, and, if necessary, it recommends that they remove this cause before proceeding with lexorcism.

The facts confirm this belief and advice. In fact, demonic harassment is frequently caused by such signs, and their suppression leads to or at least facilitates Ja deliverance. The history of Saint Hilarion t, those of Saint John Gualbert?, Saint Teresus? and many others, offer striking examples. The memorable possession of the nuns of Louviers presents one, in particular, as precise as it is authentic. On the indications of the demons, forced to confess by virtue of exorcisms, twelve charms were discovered, in different places of the monastery and the church, variously composed and each with particular purposes, as to inspire hatred, dissension, voluptuousness, blasphemy +.

1 S. Jerome, Vita S. Hilarion., Migne, t. 23, Col. 39.

2 BB. 49 Jul., t. 30, p. 368, n. 22.

3 Her life by herself, ch. 5, p. 55 and 56.

4 P. Hope of the Bosroger, The Suffering Piousness, 1. 1, ch. 8, p. 95: The demons, subjugated under the Church's rule, taught several charms, which they returned at various times: we saw them, with our own eyes, with many people of all conditions, coming out of the bowels of the earth. Members of the Board, send from the Queen and Council, have considered them and have burned a part of them, from which they have left oral proceedings; the other part has been presented to the Court and to the Court.

The devils began on the fourteenth day of June of the year 1643 to declare their charms, and on the same day they returned the first... The second charm that the demons said to have been composed to give religious alix horror of the sacraments, was found under the great antel, ayañt on earth six feet deep... The third, formed to incite these very religious chaste to impurity, was fired, in the sacristy, by Leviathan, from such a deep pit... The fourth, called the charm of saying,

Res ieor

IV. — If one considers charm in itself, in its intrinsic and material composition, the species are innumerable. However, they can be grouped into three categories.

In the first one are understood all influences whose charmer is immediately the principle, by direct and personal action or by emanating part of its organs. These are the enchantments caused by the look, the voice, the touch, the breath, the saliva, the smell.

The second category contains the evils that come from an object influenced by the magician: a liqueur, a Piece of bread, fruit, any food, a letter.

Finally the most formidable charms are composed of disparate ingredients, assembled and mixed with superstitious peculiarities that lighten the genius of confusion and disorder. What's lowest and most abject,

sention, was... found in the hall of the choir between the four doors... The fifth was taken from the corner of the altar, on the side of the leper, from a pit as deep as the others... The sixth... was placed nine feet forward on the ground under the new pillar of the new building, and was found in the presence of Monsignor the archvesque of Toulouze. The seventh... was taken into the hospital room under the altar... The eighth, which was hidden between the doors of the convent, was taken from a pit which saw the same depth... The ninth... was found at the corner of the altar, on the side where it is said the gospel, and was taken from a pit which saw seven to eight feet high; the devil himself assailed that this charm was the will of the ungodly and unhappy David and Picard. The tenth... was found in the interior of the choir, near the door, and pulled from a place that saw more than twelve feet deep... As for the eleventh and twelfth charms, they were found on the 3rd of January 1644; the devils called them the standard....

One has seen and heard, with admiration, these possessed girls declare the composition of all these charms made on the Sabbath, and placed in several places by the magicians Picard and Magdelene Bavan. These energists clearly explain, before we draw these evils from the earth, the sacrilegious execrations and the abominable blends of the sacred Hosties that are staring with a thousand hallowed and filthy shameful; they teach the point and the proper place where these charms are hidden, speculating all the pieces, ligatures, knots, characters, letters and other peculiarities, without ever missing any of the things they promised.

especially what smells of defilement and impiety, forms the raw material of these hideous mixtures. Toads, venomous reptiles, night birds, blood obtained by murder, flesh infecting corpses, mainly damned dead in blasphemy and crime, filthy excrement, goat hair, witch hair, everything that, in the human body or in nature, defiles, repels, inspires horror: these are the ordinary elements of these evil poisons!.

ìi Shakespeare makes appear, in Macbeth, act. Four, sc. One, a witch choir that makes up charms. This scene of the tragic English implies a fairly approximate knowledge of these kinds of mixtures. What's in it?

Judge: THREE SORCIERES (in a dark cave and around a boiling cauldron).

FIRST SORCIER. — Three times the speckled cat muttered, SECOND SORCIER. — And three times the young hedgehog moaned once. THIRD SOURCE, — Harpier cries: It's time! It's time!

First witch

All around the cauldron turn around,

And his poisoned bowels are filled, Toad, who, under the cold stone,

For thirty-one days and thirty-one nights. You're swollen with venom while you're asleep,

You're the first one in the enchanted pot!

THE THREE SORCIERES (in choir):

Let us repeat, repeat and repeat work and sentence; Burn, fire; bubble, cauldron.

Second witch

Snake net from the swamps,

Bous and cooks in the cauldron;

Salamander's eye, frog's foot,

Bat hair, dog tongue,

Dard forked of viper, sting, lizard leg, owl wing,

For a powerful delirium spell, Blow and boil like hell soup,

In choir: Let's do it again, etc. THIRD SOURCE

Dragon's scab, wolf's tooth, witch's mummy, jaw and throat Voracious sea shark,

Ciguë root ripped out in the night, Jewish blasphemous liver,

Goat's honey, if chips

Alas!What believing soul would not tremble at this thought? The adorable Eucharist is confused with the garbage in these specifics of Satan. It is a constant fact that consecrated hosts are used for magical purposes. From the infamous orgies of Gnostics and Manicheans to the filthy Sabbaths of the 19th century!, to the lubricated and ungodly scenes celebrated in the shadows of our great cities, the high affiliates of Freemasonry, this odious, detestable, this infernal desecration has never been interrupted. We do not know what is to be more confused here, of the malice of man and demons, or of the unbounded charity of Jesus Christ, thus engaging in the audacity of ungodliness.

These disparate elements are simply assembled in a common envelope and placed in small packages in the places where they are to be operated, or melted in such a way as to form a homogeneous mixture, sometimes in powder form, sometimes in the form of soft paste or ointment.

Cut during a moon eclipse,

Turk's nose, Tartar's lips,

Finger strangled at birth,

Born into a ditch by a runner, make the soup thick and sticky:

Let's add tiger guts again

To the ingredients of our cauldron.

In choir:

Let's do it again, etc. SECOND SOURCE

Let us cool it with the blood of a monkey, that the charm may be strong and good.

The three witches sing:

Black and white spirits, Red and grey spirits, Mingle, mix, mix, You who mix know!

1 BAYLE, who does not appear as a believer or a credule, reports this form of sacrilege as common among Lutherans. (Response to questions from a provincial, 1st P., c. 56, t. 3 p. 605 )

V. — From the point of view of the result he pursues, the charm is benevolent, pernicious, voluptuous or prestigICUX.

The beneficent charm provides a good that is coveted, healing, stopping a mischievous or serving as a condom. We will come back later on the effects of this kind by talking about philacteries. In general, charity is rare in demonic interventions or is limited to transient appearances: Satan's genius goes to evil, and if it sometimes does good to the body, it is to better lose the soul. That is why the pernicious charm is of all the most frequent, It has as object one of those many malices that we have spoken of. The detail is useless: the things of their most harmless nature can, under magical action, turn into violent poison, in principle of malaise and misfortune.

The charm that brings to voluptuousness is known as the philtra, the Greek verb euksiv, which means love.

We leave it to the doctors to decide whether there exist in the nature of the exciting erotics, and whether it is true, as they say, that such drinks have more than once given death. As soon as it will be constant that the so-called incendiary charm contains some of the elements used for ordinary aphrodisiacs, such as cantharids, phosphorus, saffron, grey amber or any plant, flower, ingredient that is reported by medicine as having venereal properties, it must be considered purely natural, unless extrinsic circumstances testify to a superior intervention.

If it is important not to take pharmaceutical recipes for demonic charms, we must also avoid challenging the possibility and reality of extranatural philtars, who derive their full virtue from an action of the

THE PROCESSES: INCANTATORY PROCESSES 443 demon on the senses and organs. Catholic theologians! agree to recognize this kind of malice, and the facts are so multiplied that it takes a bias to deny them. Man, no doubt, is inclined enough to voluptuousness so as not to seek without reason out of himself the cause of the trainings that he undergoes, However, in some cases, the violence and suddenness of these attacks betray an extrinsic influence. That we should make as wide as we want the part of nature, provided that we do not dispute this intervention that Satan is only too inclined to provide. In general, whenever the so-called charm operates by absorption or contact on the body, there is a suspicion of some natural influence. But, if it is only a question of inscriptions or cabalistic signs, objects deposited inside or outside the house and without the knowledge of the enchanted person, the cause cannot be attributed to the intrinsic properties of these things, but to an invisible agent. Evidence is even more decisive when charm determines possession.

The prestigious charm serves to realize the wonders commonly attributed to magicians, such as theft, metamorphoses, invisibility. The powder and ointment of witches are reported in front line among these wonderful specifics.

By admitting, as we have observed so many times, that these sacramental signs have no intrinsic virtue, that they serve only to call and to stage the perverse angel, one cannot claim against the effectiveness of these

1 S. Licuorr, Theol. mor., l. 3, Tr. 4.0. 23, t. 4 p. 268: Maleficium aliud dicitur amatorium seu philtrum, cujus usus est ad amorem carnalem: — Item Gousser, TAcol. morale, Decal. n. 421, t. 1, p. 888. — The former theologians are unanimous on this point.

2 Cf, Görres, Mystique, 1.8, ch, 33, t. 5, p. 359. — Bizouarp, Relationship with the Devil, 1. 6-10 passim.

444 : MAGIE practical no valid purpose of not receiving, at least in the name of pure possibility. As far as achievements are concerned, we agree that it is easy to assume imaginations; however, because of their possibility, as soon as such facts meet the requirements of historical certainty, they are equal to others. That of the disparity and the improportionability of the ingredients that make charms, we conclude to an extrinsic and extranatural causality, it is logical. To explain everything, it is enough to admit a sacramental relationship in the order of magic between these signs and effects: the incapacity itself and the inconvenience of the signs used recommend them to Satan's adoption.

What we say about material charms also applies to the verbal form of the devilic sacraments, that is to say, to the INCANTATIONS, for that is how we call words intended to produce magical effects.

VI. — These verbal formulas are infinitely varied, according to whims, bizarreness, necessity, fear, hatred of those who invent them. Sometimes it is the repetition of the pact by which one gave himself to Satan and which is still used to invoke his help, or it is praises, supplications to the invisible spirits. Most often it is a disparate mixture of barbaric and unintelligible words, an assemblage of terms..cabalistic, bizarre statements where blasphemy mixes with incoherence.

What is more strange and no less common is the use of holy words, texts borrowed from Scripture or the sacred liturgy, but not related to the effect to be obtained or pronounced with circumstances that betray superstition. These practices are found everywhere; nowhere, however, were they so used as in Spain; they were referred to as the characteristic word of

ENSALMO! (of salmo, psalm), and those who make habit of curing by these invocations and sentences were called ENSALMADORES, which would translate, in accordance with the harmonies of our language, into psalmizers or psalmizers. The ensalmadores were once confused with the saludadores, of which we have spoken, because they used to operate by recitation of sacred formulas.

It is not appropriate, of course, to put on the same footing pious quotations and magic formulas per se. Recited with faith and devotion, the first are prayers rather than incantations. However, when they are in the form of sentences offering no definite meaning or any relation of meaning to the end to be achieved, they cannot be excused for superstition?; and, mixed with vain, baroque, inconvenient words, expressing error, or cabalistic signs, they take all the characters of the magic formulas.

VII. — The use of incantations is multiple as the very purpose they pursue. They are the regular foreplay of the evocation, as we will say in describing this grim form of magic. They produce malice with or without mixing of external charms.

1 From Ensalmo, the Spanish theologians who wrote in Latin are made ensalmus. — Cf. SALmanrTic. Tr. 24, c.C. 11, P. 9, n. 193, t. 5, p. 244. — Diana, Sum. — VALLE DE Moura, de Incantationibus seu ensalmis.

2 S. THOMAS, Sum. 2.2, q. 96, a. 4, ad 1: Proferre divina verba aut invocare divinum nomen, si respectus habeatur solum ad reverentiam Dei a quo expectatur carried out, licium erit; si vero habeatur respectus ad aliquid aliud vane observatum, illicitum. erit.

3 VALLE DE Moura, de Incantation., sect. €2. 12, n. 4, 10, p. 315, 348: Sit prima regula: Quoties in ensalmo... concurrit aliquid falsum, peccatum, vel omnino indfferens moraliter, tanguam necessario requirementum live in materia, live in forma, non habet vim operandi a Deo aut bono angelo; sed vel a causa naturali si pracifiés ablla producti potest totaliter, vel a dæmone... Sit secunda regulates: Quotiescumque ensalmus... involvit aliqua nomina ignota, vel nihil significantia, censendus est operari ope dæmonis, et non divina virtute. Hæc no is tam certa quam præcedens; is tamen communissima,

Magical imprecation was the most feared evil among the Chaldeans. "The imprecation acts upon man as a evil demon," it says in an accadian conjuration; "the voice that cries upon him exists; the evil voice exists upon him; the impregnation of the malice is the source of the disease. This man, the evil imprecation, kills him like a lamb... the voice that cries, like hyena, subjugates him and dominates him." Such effects, we understand, result, not from the words, but from the demon, to whom they give, so to speak, the signal of doing wrong?.

Incantation is also used to preserve oneself and to free oneself from evil, and the formula then takes the name of conjuration. We have already said that using these means is repelling an evil by the same kind of evil.

Magical conjuration is mainly in use against diseases, whether they come from malice, as the vulgar is always ready to assume, or from natural causes. Superstition collections provide all cases and appropriate formulae for each. Moreover, so that no evil escapes its perfidious charity, magic has general conjurations that encompass all infirmities, all necessities, all perils.

The reader will forgive us not to approach the census of so many ills and healing formulas. But we have to warn him, or rather remind him that the eccentricity and ridiculousity of these recipes and sentences do not allow to deny the effectiveness, the demon being able, by secret intervention, to produce the results

1 See Fr. Lenorman, Magic in the Chaldeans, ch. 1, § 4, p. 59.

2 Bocuer, Disc. des sorcerers, ch. 26 p. 250: Who will believe that words alone have the strength to harm? As for hub, I consider that they serve only as a signal of the convention that the sorcerer has with Satan... so it is Satan who secretly kills or defiles evil in this case,

THE PROCESSES: INCANTATORY PROCESSES 417 that the ignorant and superstitious crowd attributes to these powerless signs. "I'm not surprised," said J.-B. Thiers! following a long and tedious enumeration of these formulas, may these oraisons often produce the effects they promise, because they derive all their virtue from the demon, as a result of the pacts and conventions that men have made with them. But what surprises, let us add, with this grave author, is that, being as ill-digested, as ridiculous, as extravagant, as vain and as crazy as they are for the most part, they still find so much debt in the world today, and even with many people of common sense, albeit of little foy, who do not care how they are wary of their diseases and guarded against the dangers and damage that can happen to them, if they are once."

VII. — The magic formulas do not only work orally, but also and above all written, and in this form they take the name PHYLACTÈRES. Although by its etymology this word derives from Greek?, it is, however, by the use it characterizes, of Jewish origin. The Jews thus called bands of parchment on which were written words of the law, and which they bore tied to the neck, to the arms, to the chest, and from there came the name of LIGATURES to them again.

Under this statement, we must understand not only intelligible invocations and sentences, but also barbaric words, signs or figures inscribed on any substance.

These forms, whether verbal or written, must be assessed in the same way, and therefore,

1 Treaty of the Superst., Ch., 34, p. 410. 2 From Guhdoaw WHERE am I kept, I keep,

: THE MAGIE we have said of incantations is suitable for phy- = lacters. Holy words, spoken with faith and piety, often have supernatural effectiveness, although they do not always seem to have a direct connection with grace to obtain. Similarly, the practice of wearing prayers, sacred formulas such as medicines or condoms should not be described as superstition without distinction. Is it not universal practice in the Church to have on oneself medals of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints, images of the sacred Heart of Jesus, symbolic signs representing faith, hope, charity or any other holy thing?

Except in cases where inscriptions and representations have this religious character, their virtue, if they have one, can only come from the demon, and as such they are part of the magical processes. Thus the Church has always considered them, constantly resenting them and cursed them by the voice of his doctors and councils, as the learned Abbé Thiers! and Fr. The Brun?, no less learned than the previous.

We ignore the absurd formulas recommended in the so-called magic grimoires. Whatever their forms, phylacterists are used for the same purposes as incantations. They are used to harm, to heal, to defend themselves, above all, and to preserve themselves.

IX. — When superstitious virtue comes, not

_1 Treaty of superstitions, ch. 28 p. 292-301: These are the same remedies that the Councils and the Fathers of the Church have condemned so positively under the name of phylacteries or ligatures, etc., etc.

2 Critical history of superstitious practices, l. 3, ch. 3, in-fol. p. 174. 3 One of the most famous phylacteries is the ABRA-CADABRA cabalistic formula, which is already found in the poem on medicine, one of the two Q. Serenus Sammonicus, father and son, one and the other poets and doctors, who lived in the 11th century C.E. We had the letters under

& SEE Si

the matter on which it is engraved, in the manner in which it has been executed, of the various elements which accompany it, and which it is mainly intended to make itself a preservative against such or such evil or against any kind of evil, the superstitious sign is more precisely called AMULETTE, although this word also refers to what we have called phylactère. Their etymology, like their respective sigmification, seems to make them synonymous: phylacter means condom that keeps and preserves, and amulet, condom that avoids the danger.

The way in which amulet is made and the way in which it is used are very important to superstition, but very little to decide whether the practice is superstitious, because its virtue, in all these cases, can come only from the devil, not from God and his angels? That it be contained in a

this triangular form, which reproduced the entire word on its various faces: ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR ABRACADAB ABRACADA ABRACAD ABRAGA ABRA ABR AB A

This sign was attached to the patient's neck and the letters were cut off one by one, beginning at the bottom of the triangle, and as these letters were eliminated, evil receded on its side.

According to Baronius (Ann. eccl. an. 120, n. 17, t. 2, p. 139), this phylacter would be of gnostic origin, and would attach to the basilidian superstition, whose barbaric term of Abrasaæ was the password and doctrinal symbol. ` 1 Latin amolior, repel.

2 Gerson, Opusc. adversus doctrinam cujusdam medic. prop. 8 and 41: Characters seu figuræ, vel litteræ non habitent de ratione sua quod ordinentu, ad aliquos performed nisi mediante rationali vel intellectuali creatura. Significare enim is rem in intellectu constitutee... Observatory findings

Den es ý parar pear

: THE MAGIE sachets or encased in a ring, any ornament, whether suspended on the neck or applied to any other part of the body, whether made of any substance or another, on such or such other day, as soon as the sign has no natural property, it falls into the category of the diabolical sacraments.

X. — The Razismans! belong to the same family. They are often confused with phylacteries and amulet; however, they should be distinguished. The talisman probably has the charm that preserves and delivers unfortunate accidents, but even more so the prestigious charm that seems to free himself from the usual laws of nature. With the help of this sign, it is not wonderful, it is said, that one cannot accomplish: one makes oneself invisible, one transports from one point to another with the speed of lightning, one discovers the hidden treasures, one inspires sympathy or fear at his will, one triumphs over all preventions, all resistances, one becomes joyful, happy, victorious and almost immortal. Certainly, so much virtue is not found in any talisman, or even in the collection of talismans; but finally, it is attached to this word, mainly in the Orientals, where these signs have always been in great honour, the idea of an extraordinary superhuman virtue.

Three things do the talisman: the material, the print and there making.

In general, the substances used are precious stones, ivory, priced metals; but sometimes they are also more common materials, copper, tin, and other materials.

no is posita ab Ecclesia and sacris Doctoribus tanquam eveniat performed speratus per miraculum divinum, imo vel per sanctos angelos Dei, qui sunt administratorii spiritus propter electos Dei ad vitam æternam, magis quam ad curam temporalem.

1 This word probably comes from Arabic telesm, which means consecration. A few make him drift from the Greek teàsoua, perfect thing.

AN AT A FULL V. AN D i x

THE PROCESSES: INCANTATORIES 421. lead, iron, ordinary stone, paper, parchment. According to Cardan! and other proponents of hermetic science, a large number of fine stones themselves have properties that place them among the talismans.

The engraved or chiseled figures are as diverse as man's fantasies and the whims of chance can be. Astrologers, who make everything dependent on sidereal influences, demand that the drawing be appropriate to the heavenly sign whose virtue is invoked. The basilidians used to engrave their mysterious A6oxçxË on precious stones, a word that summed up Sasilide's theory of the three hundred and sixty-five divine processions in numbers, and looked at these symbols as wonderful condoms.

There are sometimes stones or other substances on which are drawn, by games of nature, representations and signs that make them put into the class of talismans; they are named by the special name of Gamahez*.

Finally, the magicians or charlatans who have made this art profession exalt the effectiveness of the pantacle, according to

- The books of Hierosme Cardanus, translated from Latin into French by Richard the White, p. 165 et seq.

2 In the Gnostic theogonia of Basilide, the Supreme God was spread out in three hundred and sixty-five manifestations, which formed so many intelligences and constituted the Plerom. The letters of the word aépacaë, taken from their numerical value, gave precisely this figure of 365:

Cf. Baronius, Ann. eccl. year. 420, n. 13 and 14, t. 2, p. 188. 3 Tamers, Treaty of Superstl., c. 29 p. 308.

: THE MAGIE them, the incomparable talisman. It consists of a series of concentric circles, intertwined with various names of God: Jehovah, Adonai, Emmanuel, etc., and of insignificant signs, all drawn on virgin goat parchment, with a set of formulas and observances no less ridiculous than superstitious.

The timing and the ceremonial recommended for making depends mainly on the strength of the talisman. The metal that receives the imprint must have been cast under the influence of the heavenly sign, which communicates its virtue to it. The nature and importance of these conditions is judged by the following definition of talisman. "Talisman," said the author! "of a treatise on matter, is nothing other than the seal, figure, character or image of a celestial sign, planette or constellation, printed, engraved or chiseled on a sympathetic stone or on a metal corresponding to the star, by a worker who has the mind arrested and attached to the work and to the end of his work, without being distracted or dissipated in other foreign thoughts at the day and hour of the plane, in a wealthy place, in a beautiful and serene time, and when he is in the best disposition in the sky that he may be, in order to attract more and the virtue of its influences."

To believe that all these arbitrary signs infallibly confer such privileges would be childish; but to deny them absolutely some effectiveness would be to ignore the ordinary way, for the demon, to intervene in human things. "Something that the talismans do, let's add with J.B. Thiers?, they can only pull it out of an express or at least tacit pact with the demon, and we do not

1 , Treaty of Talismans justify, p. 20.

2 Treaty of superstil., c. 29 p. 307. — See The Brux, Hist. critic of the 'superst., 1: 8, ch. 4 p. 172.

they must look only like magical phylacteries and

superstitious, since they are not established by God or by

the Church, and that nature cannot produce the extraordinary effects that are attributed to them."

XI. — It is a last category of sacramental signs which suppose and establish an at least implicit trade with the demon, and which none of the preceding notions sufficiently qualify. They return effortlessly to the general statement of vain observances, which seems to suit them with particular accuracy. To distinguish them from the species already listed, we define them as an action or omission from which we expect a result that has no natural relation to this ‘intended causality. A few examples of these superstitions, from which we take the statements in the Treaty of B.C. Thiers!, will make it clear what they consist of.

"Wash his hands on the first day of May in manure juice, and cut down the cover of the hive three times on his hands, to prevent them from getting hyvered. Warm the fever by drinking in a bucket of water after a horse has been drunk. When a woman is ready to give birth, take her belt, go to church, tie the bell with this belt and make her ring three strokes, so that this woman gives birth fortunately... Take as many peas as we have of verruës, wrap them in a linen and throw this linen in a path. Celuy who picks it up will have the verruës, and that who sees them before will have them no more... Attaching nail tests to the doors of houses, so that the people and the beasts that inhabit them are preserved of charm and maleficia... Wear a wig made of hung hair, and soaked in the blood of a pupu, in order to make himself in-

1 Treaty of superstitions, c. 30, p. 320-334.

visible. Cut the hem of a dead man's shroud, pass it

under the kidneys and to paint those who have the colic or some descent of hoses... Bring to a married man the heart of a mass quail, and to his wife the heart of a female quail, so that they may always live in peace, etc."

We are silent on a large number of other cases, reported by this author, and on the curious quotations he makes of John Fernel and Saint Bernardin of Siena. But it's enough to hear how far we can go, to be forgiven for this word, human nonsense,

XU. — It is not appropriate for us to trace the details of these absurd and abominable practices. Christian demonologists keep on magical processes a reserve that we have made a duty to imitate. The learned author we have just quoted relates, it is true, a large number of practices and formulas, but taking care to omit what feels blasphemy and obscenity. Before him, Martin Delrio also pointed out, in his master book on magic, several superstitious recipes, but stopped at the first words of the ungodly incantations.

In the 19th century, Jean Wier, doctor of the Duke of Clèves, as unbelieving in the matter of witchcraft as doctors today may be, described more than he should have, in his book of PresriGes DES pémoxs, the magical processes and invocations, under the pretext of showing the insanity of incoherence and the ridicule that overflowed there: false argumentation and taken absolutely backwards; for it is the very nature of the evil facts to take almost always absurd and baroque forms. A writer of our time, J. Collin de Plancy, believed that he could multiply these indications, under the same pretext and with the sole intention of enjoining readers, in his INFERNAL DICTIONNAIRE, a collection of legends

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THE PROCESSES: PROCEDURAL PROCEEDINGS 425 written with great mind, it is true, but with too little science and seriousness t.

Besides these books, which the literate public barely knows, he circulates among the people a large number of opuscules who claim to initiate the secrets of magic. Henri-Corneille Agrippa, who was the master of Jean Wier, is credited with a collection of magic formulas, published in 1530, under the title DE ocCulta PHILOSOPHIA, often translated since and still widespread today in the ignorant and superstitious classes. Other libels of the same spirit and value are scattered all over the cities and especially in the countryside, such as the , and the - ALBERT, or simply the GRAND-ALBERT and the PeriT-ALBERT, the DRAGON ROUGE, the SALOMON CLAVICULES, etc., true fatras of wonderful recipes and so-called magical conjurations. Here we point out these absurd grimoires, not to recommend their insipid reading, but only to wield the inepties, the turpitudes, the impieties contained therein, and also to recall the papal ordinances that prescribe to deliver to the flames these rituals of superstition.

1 This work forms the t. 48 and 49 of the Theological Encyclopedia of Migne. It is regrettable that our great ecclesiastical publisher wanted nothing more serious to represent in his precious collection the OCCULT SCIENCES.

Chapter XX

Magical Procedures — II. Divinatory Procedures

Two categories of processes. — Inspection of things of nature. — Astrology and horoscope. — L'aruspicin. — Augural art. — Presages of encounters, words and names. — Chiromancy. — Dreams. — The spells. — Specular divination. — The divinea-

the key, the ring, the sifter.

I. — The superstitious man questions everything in nature, in himself, around and above him, in order to penetrate the mysteries of the past, the present and the future; but he attributes to certain objects, to certain phenomena, a specific virtue to lead to this knowledge, and he makes them all means of divination.

These means can be divided into two categories: the first embraces natural phenomena which present nothing prodigious, but in which superstition seeks to read what it ignores; and the second, conventional processes to which Phomme asks the revelation of the unknown.

II. — The divination from the spectacle of nature offers infinite varieties, such as objects and situations that serve as a pretext for it. Superstition attaches itself to everything, and in every aspect of things it finds to guess and predict. The heavens, animals, plants, inanimate bodies, all the accidents of Pair, earth, water and fire, the variety of body forms, the encounters of the day and the dreams of the night, surprises of chance, the eventualities of the spell, the thousand fantasies that can spring from sick brains, provide so many opportunities for omens. To enumerate them all, it would be impossible to undertake: we will merely point out, among these countless practices, the most used and the most well known.

The dust thrown into the air and falling back to draw figures where the future fits, is one of the countless forms of GEOMANCY!, which generally embraces all the omens drawn from the earth's objects, from their various configurations. The many ways in which water inspection can predict what is to happen belong to HYDROMANGIA?. When it is to fire or flame that these secrets are demanded, it is PYROMANGY; when it is to lair phenomena, it is PAEROMANCY.

IL.—The most famous and oldest form of this lying art is JUDICIAL ASTROLOGY, so called because it judges and decides everything, and also to distinguish it from astronomy or science that cares for celestial bodies. It draws its data from the movements, oppositions and conjunctions of the stars. It focuses on predicting the destiny of every man by constel-

1 From yñ, earth, and avrela, divination. 2 Dwp, water.

3 From nõp, fire.

4 De &ñp, air.

From there came to the supporters of these vain conjectures the names of astrologers and geneticists.

This art, from Chaldea and Egypt, was first confused with astronomy, and passed in this dual form to the Greeks and the Romans. It was hardly until the second century, in the time of Clement of Alexandria, that astronomical science emerged from the dreams of judicial astrology. This did not, however, continue to exist, even throughout Christian centuries. In 1586, Sixtus V? resented her with several other forms of superstition, and in the middle of the 17th century, Fr. de Condren and Cardinal de Bérulle wrote treaties to combat these strange mistakes; Bayle himself will seriously interfere with it.

This is how it was usually used to set up the horoscope of a mortal: it was only necessary to juxtapose the astrological zodiac on the celestial zodiac. It is known that the celestial zodiac is an ideal area parallel to the ecliptic, and divided into equal parts by constellations or signs. These constellations or signs exert, according to astrologers, benign, pernicious or indifferent influences, each according to its kind. To the heavenly zodiac came to adapt the astrological zodiac. The latter divided

also the horizon in twelve parts of the same dimension,

called the Marsoxs of the sky, so that each house would fit by its of with every sign of the astronomical zodiac. The first house was always that of birth, and for that reason it was named after Aoroscope. Moreover, just as each of the signs of heaven had its own

1 See DaremgerT and SacLIo, Dict. des antiquités, word Astronomia, p. 476. — Boucué-Leccerco, Hist. de la divination. Div. hell., t. A, p. 206.

2 ConsriTut. 9 Jan. 1586: Hac perpetuo valitura constitutione, etc.

3 See. Baye, Various Thoughts written to a doctor of Sorbonne, on the occasion of the comet which appeared in December 1680, t. 3, 4th P.

4 Of opa, hour, and cxomew, I observe.

The series of houses, determined in good or bad, set out various aspects of human life. To the first was the longevity, to the second the wealth, to the third the brothers and close relatives, to the fourth the father, the mother and the ancestors, to the fifth the children, to the sixth the health, to the seventh the marriage, to the eighth the death, to the ninth the religion, to the tenth the dignitys, to the eleventh the friends, to the twelfth the enemies.

The first house responds to the point of the ecliptic that rises at the time of birth. It remains to be seen how the other houses of the astrological zodiac fall on the point of the heavenly zodiac; by this one has the questions, and by this one the answers.

The astrologers also proceeded by combinations of numbers and letters drawn from these occurrences of houses and signs: but it is enough to have indicated the general principle of these assumptions +; let moral theology the easy task of demonstrating disorder and labsurdity?.

IV. — Sacrifice has too great a place in the religious order, so that superstition would not attempt to usurp part of it. In difficult circumstances, the blood of the victims was shed on the altars, and the omens that were drawn from their smoking bowels were called by the Latins Arusricrum *; hence the name of Ha-RUSPICES given to these interpreters divine wills. Their art, recorded in traditional books, consisted of deciding on the future according to the appearances of

1 See Duriney DE VorerrterRe, Dict., at the word Astrology. — Caristian, Hist. de la magie, l. 1, p. 67-97, l. 6 p. 489-652.

2 See S. Tuomas, Sum. 2.2, q. 95, a. 5, — Lectures by Angers, t.h., p. 440. — Mayoz, moral sum. circa Decalog. Migne, ©. theoi.t. 14, col. 74.

3 This word is likely to come from ara, altar, and inspice, look; or from haruga, arvix, victim, and radical specere, look.

A 430 : THE MAGIE the bowels of the slain hosts, and after extraordinary wonders that scare mortals, such as earthquakes, lightning bursts, storms, etc.

V. — The interpretation of ordinary natural phenomena was evident in the AUGURES +, and the omens to which they gave rise constituted the AUSPICES, auspicium?.

Augural art played a great role in pagan superstition, especially among the Romans, although augurs, no more than aruspices, did not have priestly dignity. We do not have to describe the very complicated rites of this kind of divination °. It is enough to remind us that it was originally the purpose of the inspection of birds, to draw happy or unhappy omens from their singing, their flight, to eat them; that later they were extended to the signs of the sky, especially to lightning and thunder, to the movements and attitudes of quadrupeds and snakes in the enclosure of the augural temple, i.e. in the space of the sky drawn by the stick of Paugure, and finally to the least incidents that occurred during the duration of the auspication.

Among all peoples, Pornithomancy, or divination by birds, has been practiced with infinite variations. The raven, crow and owl are particularly suspicious, but it is important to observe with great attention whether the theft and the cry of these sinister volatiles occur to the right or left, in the morning or evening.

The barkings of the dogs had their meaning for those who could hear.

The snakes were used for divination.

1 Of opinion, bird, and handler, drive.

2 Of opinion, bird, and specere, look.

3 See. Cm. DAREMBERG and En. Saario, Dict. of Antiquities, word Avure.

4 Ololygmancia, of oko\tw, howl, and uxvrefæ, divination. À Ophiomancia, deu, serpent.

The skilful can read the secrets of the future in eggs 1, either whole, or broken and poured into clear water.

VI. — In man everything provides an opportunity for superstitious omens: what he says, what he does, all the forms of his body and the least accidents of his external life.

The words spoken without purpose or intention and giving rise to the guesses of the diviners were called by the Latins Omen °, which we simply translate as omens. These kinds of interpretations are of all time. Like Caiaphas, from whom the Gospel reports that he prophesied without knowing it, each of us, to the saying of many superstitious people, prophesies, without his knowledge, some day or another, by reflections to which he does not attach any importance: the whole is to know the moment or to meet at the point a lucid interpreter.

The divination by names * and anagrams has been popular at times and in some countries. Combinations of letters leading to stinging statements and curious wordplays about a person's name and destiny are cited; but, in the face of common sense, it was never just a game.

VII. — The bodily forms have in turn provided their share of revelations. These divinatory conjectures should not include those based on the traits of physiognomy, cranium protuberances, facial angle and other signs of the same order: the discussion of these points of view is a matter of physiology and anthropology. To stick to the purely superstitious processes, passing the

1 Oomancia, bv, egg, 2 Boucué- LecLerQ, Hist. of divination in ancient times. Wüalic Divination, 1.2, ch. 2, t.14#,1p.4185. 3 Onomomancy, dvoux, name.

Shoulder! and even the navel?, where one has read the stops of destiny, we will mainly point out the hand as the most fruitful field for explorations of this kind. However, a distinction should be made between PHYSICAL CHIROMANCGIE and ASTROLOGICAL CHIROMANCIA. It bases its judgments on the combined data of the horoscope and the lines of the hand: Sixtus V # severely condemned this mode of divination and all the books that deal with it. This one pronounces on the character and fate of people by the conformation of the hand and the lines that travel it.

These kinds of prognosis, considered according to the general principles of physiognomonia, have the same value as natural observations on any other part of the body. However, the inept futility of which this art of chiromancy has been complicated, which, as Görres ê claims, is not the exclusive division of the Bohemians, makes it impossible to see the characters of the vain observances. The mere statement of the signs that are sought in the hand and the qualifiers that are given to them suffices to demonstrate this.

The palm of the hand, which is the main seat of prognosis, is divided into lines and mountains: the lines are formed by the folds made by the hand by closing; the mountains are the fleshy parts ended by these lines.

Among the lines that crisscross the hand, four usually meet in all individuals, and form the basis of chiromancial theory; others are peculiar to a few and complement the system. The first common line is born between the thumb and the index, and runs along the

1 Omomancy, shoulder, shoulder.

2 Omphalomance, O poaoc, navel.

3 Of Yeto, hand, and mavreto, divination.

4 Bulle Cæli and land.

5 ScuorT, Phys. curios, 1. 12, ©. 6, n.4, p. 1295. Mystique, 1, 8, ch. 5, t, 5, p. 64,

root of the thumb to the bottom of the hand: this is the lifeline, and of all the most important, because it decides, at what is assured, the very length of life and its direction. The second, called the line of head, of mind, or of health, is relativated to the line of life, and crosses the middle of the hand in its breadth: its qualifiers give the measure of its influence. The third, the heartline, starts from the base of the index and runs along the other fingers parallel to the middle line: it makes the share of happiness or misfortune. The fourth marks the passage of the arm to the hand and is said, as fair, line of the wrist or joint; but it also presages by the diversity of its forms the chances of good or bad fortune. Many hands have a fifth line, called the triangle, which cuts the lines of heart and head, moving from the middle of the wrist towards the root of the little finger: it is attributed strong influences on destiny. We're moving on to the accidental lines.

The mountains, or fleshy protuberances, are distributed as follows: Jupiter claims the one who wears the index; Saturn, the one who is under the medium; Apollo claims the ringstone mountain; Mercury, that of the little finger or ear; Venus reserves the fleshy mass which is under the thumb; Mars has the area that faces it and extends from the end of the heart line under the atrial, to the life line at the root of the thumb. The various kinds of influences attributed to these deities of fable are known.

VIII. — The superstition of dreams is the most popular, because it is based on subjective impressions common to all men. There is no one who, at night or another, had had delicious or terrible dreams, and desired or feared to see them come true. It is not unheard of elsewhere, as we have said in dealing with

visions, let dreams reveal God's wills and be prophetic announcements of the future. It is warned that they have this character by organs whose holiness guarantees witness, by an irresistible feeling, especially by the concordance of the vision with an event that escapes human foresight. Out there, there's nothing but a dream or a superstition.

However, the vulgar, and many people who believe themselves above, often give more importance to dreams of the night than to the thoughtful acts of the day before, and seek mysterious warnings of what should happen to them. Apart from the dedicated interpreters to whom they tell their visions and who boldly reveal their meaning, the weak and superstitious minds believe that they discover happy or harmful omens of their own accord, according to their impressions, in these night inconsistencies. To help each other in these conjectures, we always have books in hand where all cases are planned, and which put the childhoods of Lorro-MANCIE! within the reach of everyone. Among these collections, two of the oldest are attributed, one to Artemidore of Ephesus?, nicknamed the Daldien, who lived under Antonine the Pious, the other to Nicéphore Gregoras, Greek writer of the nineteenth century ê, whose work is a commentary to the treatise of the Sons, by Synésius * (350-430).

We must take into account all the less dreams that are not divinely confidential, that the demon can be the author of them, and we cannot excuse for fault.

1 Overpoc, dream.

2 His book, "Ovsspoxperuxev, is divided into five books. Verise, 1518, in-8°.

3 Scholia in Synesium de Insomnias, Migne, P. gr., t. 449, Col. 522-612.

4 De Insomnias, Migne, Patr. gr. t. 66, Col. 1282-1319.

5 Suarez, from Superslit. ©. 13, n. 7, 18, p. 549, 554: De dæmone vero, quod posit talia somnia in sorentibus facere, jam probatum est, and nemo dubitat.

those who believe in it without discernment, especially after experience has shown them vanity and falsehood. More importantly, are they guilty of the sin of superstition and magic, says Suarez?, those who are waiting for the demon, by virtue of a previous pact, for warnings and answers through dreams, or turn to him to have the interpretation of dreams whose intelligence escapes them.

IX. — Divination by spells is done in a thousand ways. The most commonly used forms are dice, cards, names or numbers placed in an urn and drawn at random, letters at first opening of a book, short straw.

The use of fate is not always a superstition or a sin. It is permissible to use it, both from the reciprocal consent of the parties and from the authority of the judge, when it comes to awarding to one thing to which many are entitled to claim; there is not the shadow of divination. Even to get to know what is hidden, unknown, the spell is not always superstitious: we see it practiced in many places of Scripture, and ratified by God. Joshua è discovers by this way the Israelite who had diverted something from the spoil of Jericho; Samuel + proceeded in this way to the election of Saul; that is how

1 SUAREZ, ibid. n. 25, p. 557: Quinso quis sine prudenti discreete et judicio facile credit hujusmodi somniis, non excusatur, per se loquendo, a gravi culpa, etiamsi temere dicat se credere ea esse a Deo, quia evidenti periculo daemoniacæ deceptionis s'exponit...; majorque erit culpa si jam alias quis expertus est in his similibus casibus se esse deceptum, taliaque somnia falsa invenisse; illud est enim maximma signum illusionis dæmonis, ut D. Thomas notat. 2.2, q. 172, a. 5, ad 3.

2 Ibid. n. 20, p.555: Is autem hoc peccatum manifestum quando præcedit expressum pactus dæmonis, which per somnia responsee promised, vel etiam, si postquam quis somnium vidit, et non intellexit, ad daemonem recurrit pro ejus interpretatione.

3 Jos. seen, 13-22.

Reg x 20 "21:

Jonathas! and Jonas?; and St Mathias? is elected to the apostolate.

The demarcation line between what is permitted and what is not is difficult to establish. In principle, this means of revelation should be used only by a movement of the Holy Spirit 4, and in cases of necessity where divine intervention is necessary and appropriate. * Waiting for a solution from fate or some latent power that is not even thought of to ask God through prayer, is an invocation, if not express, at least implicit of the demon.

These are the most widespread applications of the art of divination to natural phenomena: disparate mixtures of futile observances, ridiculous practices, consequences without principle, without link or proportion, of false or risky conjectures; work worthy in all of the angel dedicated to pride, lies, abjection.

We will complete this subject with what is left to say about the magical processes and what we will say, in its place, about the divinatory wand, the rotating and talking tables, about magnetism: as many forms of divination as the reader might expect to find here, and which will have their place in the fourth volume.

X. — The conventional processes used to discover the unknown are innumerable. Let's mention some of the most used.

Divination presupposes a second view extending beyond the natural ray, or a reverberation of unknown things that puts them at the reach of the gaze. Magnetism,

1 I Reg. XI, 42.

2 Jon, T Te

3 Act. 1, 26.

4 Suarez, from Superst. ©. 19, n. 18, t, 13, p.544: Usus sortuim ad Cognoscendam veritatem occultam, nisi fiat ex divina inspiratione, expectando ab ipso Deo veritatis cognitionem, illicitus est...; divinatioautem intercedit in sortebus, quoties a Deo non expectatur cognitio.

5 S. Tuoua, Sum. 2-2, q. 95, a, 8:

We will talk about later, realize the first hypothesis quite often; divination by the mirror or ca- TOPTROMANCY * answers the second. It operates with the help of a reflector who brings before the eyes the representation of the hidden things that one wants to know. It is sometimes an ordinary mirror, sometimes a transparent crystal, a full cup, a liquid, in a word, an object of any kind capable of reflecting light.

It is not given indifferently to each one to see with his eyes these revealing images, but only to mediums endowed with clairvoyance. Child's look is particularly suitable for this kind of intuition?. In an article entitled Eastern Magic, Mr. Léon de Laborde reported in the first half of the century such facts as he had witnessed in Cairo, and which English travellers also saw and attested?. The Revur pes DEux-Monpes, dated August 1, 1833, reads this interesting testimony, which the narrator expressly guarantees the perfect accuracy. *

The fascination of children and young girls in these experiments would naturally be explained by assuming that this is hypnotization; but it would still be necessary to make the second view that occurs in hypnotism itself, as we will say in dealing expressly with this form of magnetism.

XI. — The CLIDOMANGIES was in vogue in xvie and at the

1 Xeromtpoy, mirror.

2 See Gorres, Mystique, 1. 6, c. 8, t. 4 p. 118-198.

3 See. An account of the managers and customers of the modern Egyptians, London, 1837. — Quarterly Review, n. 117, July 1837.

5 Ibid., p. 332, note by Mr Pe Lasorne: We ask the reader not to look at this article as a tale made for pleasure; it is the faithful and accurate account of a fact that we do not claim to explain, and of which we are far from denying singularity.

6 From #Xeoos, key, and pavretaæ, divination.

_438 2nd section: the evil parodys: magic

xvier century, and it is still in use among the Russians!

to discover the criminals and treasures. We put the key on the Bible or an open prayer book at the place of a gospel, we place under successively, written on strips of paper, the names of suspicious persons, or we pronounce these names: the key stirs, it is said, when passing the name of the culprit.

The ring was also used, and in several ways. He was held hanging on a wire, on the opening of a vase, and the number of hits hit against the walls answered the questions proposed?. At other times he was made to roll on a plane dotted with letters, and if, together, the letters affected offered meaning, it was that of the riddle. The material that the ring was made of was also important in DACTILIOMANCY °.

History tells that under Valens, three of his officers, impatient with the yoke, met two magicians to discover, by means of Panel, who would succeed him to the empire. They first learned that he would be a man of eminent spirit and poured out in all sorts of knowledge, but that they themselves would not see him reigning and would soon receive the punishment of their reckless curiosity. We pushed further, and wanted to know the name of the future emperor. The first four letters designated were GEOA; they concluded that it was Theodore, the chief of the notaries, who was, in their thought, the most prominent figure: it was Theodosius, to whom they did not dream. Theodore and those who had secretly acclaimed him died in the torments, victims of Valens' cruel mistrust. ‘

1 See CHrisTian, Hist. of Magic, 1. 5, p. 411.

2 BizouarD, Relationships of Man with the Devil, 1.6, ch. 5, t. 2, p. 404, 3 De üaxtulloc, ring.

Cf. From Brocue, The Church and the Empire in the 1st century, t. 5, p. 308.

Hilaire, Pun of the magicians involved in the case, tells us how we were doing in these magical consultations. "We place in the middle of a room previously sanctified by the fragrances of Arabia, the table shaped for this use," he said. On Ja table is a disc composed of various metals and with the inner edges of which are engraved the twenty-four letters of the alphabet; a ring attached to a wire is suspended above. A magician, dressed in clothes and in linen sandals, with his head covered with a twisted hairstyle, a bouquet of magical herbs in his hand, invokes, by mysterious formulas, the god of the oracles and continues his conjurations until the table enters into motion. He then prints a ring impulse that, by oscillating, comes to hit the edges of the disc and, by the letters he designates, composes perfectly regular heroic worms and thus answers the questions proposed!"

In Brittany, and once also in Greece?, the sifter or the airlock was used for these investigations, from which they came the learned name of COSGINOMANIA è. A sifting or sifting is suspended by a rope and then one of the assistants — usually the sorcerer of the place — articulates the names of the persons in question: when the pendulum oscillates, it is to designate the culprit.

In all these practices, superstition is too obvious for it to be necessary to insist.

1 MARCELLIN AMMIAN, Rerum gestarum, l. XXIX, 1. 2 DeELRIO, Disg. mag., l. 4, q. 6, S. 4 p. 406. 3 From xócxvov, sifting.

Chapter XXI

Magical Procedures — III. Evocatory Procedures

The evocation is usually done through a magician or a medium.—The ritual formulas.—The ritual of Thessaly.—Scene of an evocation in the Pharsal of Lucain.—Other less horrible varieties.—Limits and conditions of exercise of the midwayer's faculty.—How to become a medium.—Ceremonial of P. Christian to evoke a beloved death. — Last observation on this process and on others,

I. — Evocation is the most daring form of magic; to achieve it, all means are at stake.

Generally, a mediator is employed by profession, that is, a magician, a medium. The latter qualifier is in great use in the language of the spiritists. By its etymology, it means a medium,.4n medium, an intermediary, and it is, in fact, a person who acts as an intermediary between spirits and men. "Everyone who feels, to some degree, the influence of the spirits," Kardec T says, "is, by this very means. This ability is inherent in man, and therefore is not an exclusive privilege; therefore, there is little in the

1 The Book of Mediums, 2° P., c. 44, p. 198.

Ras

Your eg = - men a ë =

$ PROCESSES: EVOCATORY PROCESSES 441 which are not found some rudiments. So we can say that everyone, just about anything, is a medium. However, in practice, this qualification applies only to those in which the mid-range faculty is clearly characterised, and results in obvious effects of a certain intensity, which then depends on a more or less sensitive organisation." For us, who do not doubt that the spirits referred to here are demons, and who call any voluntary trade with these fallen angels a magic, we do not distinguish between a medium and a magician, if not at most that one can be in good faith on the character of these practices, while the other acts in full awareness of his criminal relationship with Satan.

I. — This mediator of magic operates in several ways. Among the means used, ritual formulas must be placed in the front line. These are direct adjuations to the dark spirits, expressing in turn humble prayer, servile promises, shameful and sacrilegious promises, anger, rage, threat, inconsistencies of fury and blasphemy. They are usually accompanied by charms, malice, superstitious practices, absurd, criminal, abominable, which, even because of these ignominious characters, have a special virtue to call the genius of evil and confusion.

The ritual of Thessaly was famous among all in ancient P, by the horror of its staging, the boldness of its questioning, the hideous mixture of its charms. The Puarsaze of Lucain! presents a sample of this gruesome apparatus, in the evocation of the donkeys of a Roman legionary by the magician Erichto; we have quoted it by speaking of evocations?.

1L. 6, Pharsal, 1. 6 p. 121 et seq. 2, p. 47-67. 2 Higher, p. 307.

II. — Ceremonial is not always as scary. The simple call, a superstitious sign, often even an act of will, is enough to evoke the invisible being that one wants to maintain, or rather the demon that, in general, we have already said, is the true agent of these overseas manifestations.

Each theurge has its own traditions, rites, formulas; each medium has its own habits and special faculties'. To speak only of these mediators of spiritism, some exercise at will their power, others are subject to the whims of the spirits, which, less under their action than on their occasion, shake, write, speak, appear, impress, harass. But, let us note, it is less man who acts on the demon here than the demon on man, and the people who thus serve as instruments and toys are rather obsessed than they are true mediums. Medianmic commerce, to speak this new language, presents other varieties with indefiniteness. They only hear the spirits and converse with them; they see them. The others see, hear, either during the day before and at normal state, or during sleep or under the eccentric conditions of sleepwalking, ecstasy. There are more people who act as intermediaries through pencils or pens, sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious of what they write. =

IV. — Everyone can call the spirits; but the spirits do not answer everyone? Don't become

1 ALLAN KARDEC, The Book of Mediums, 2nd P., c. 14, p. 195: This ability is not revealed in all in the same way; mediums usually have a special aptitude for a particular order of phenomena, making it as many varieties as there are kinds of manifestations. The main ones are: mediums with physical effects, sensitivistic or impressionable mediums, auditory, speaking, visionary, somnambul, healers, tiremalographers, writers or psychographs.

- What? Allan Kanoec, The Book of Mediums, 2nd P., ch, 25, n. 282, p. 364:

Who wants a medium hearing, seeing, evocative. At the most, can one aspire to the gift of writing, and yet can one never have the complete assurance of achieving this kind of mediation: all is to try; success or linsuccess decides, In short, there are, according to the spiritists, extraordinary and unforeseen concessions of nature and spirits; in our opinion, caprices and perfidious tricks of demons or secret purposes from God, which, according to his righteousness or mercy, looses or contains the fury of the cursed angels.

However, there are processes that usually have the effect of communicating with the spirits, according to Allan Kardec, the practitioner of spiritism.

"A way that is quite often successful," he says, "is to use a good flexible writer medium already formed as a temporary auxiliary. If he lays his hand or fingers on the hand that must write, it is rare that the hand does not immediately do so... It is still sometimes enough to magnetize strongly in this intention the arm and hand of the person who wants to write; often even the magnetizer is confined to laying his hand on the shoulder, and we have seen them write quickly under this influence. The same effect can also occur without any contact and by the mere fact of the will... Another way that can also be powerful in contributing to the development of the faculty is to bring together a number of people, all of them Can we evoke minds without being mediums? — Everyone can evoke minds, and if those whom you call cannot manifest themselves materially, they are no less close to you and listen to you.

1 ALLAN KaRpDEc, ibid., c. 47, n. 200, p. 242: Unfortunately, there is no diagnosis so far that can indicate, even approximately, that this ability is available; the physical signs to which some people thought they had seen clues are not certain. It is found in children and old people, in men and women, whatever

be the temperance, health, the degree of intellectual and moral development. There's only one way to see the existence of it, it's

to try,

L&k 2nd section: the evil parodys: the magic

There, all simultaneously, in absolute silence and with a religious contemporaneously, try to write by calling each one to his guardian angel, or to some kind of spirit. One may also make, without special designation and for all the members of the meeting, a general appeal to good spirits, saying, for example: In the name of Almighty God, we ask good spirits to be willing to communicate with one another through the people present here. It is rare that in the number there are none that quickly give signs of mediumness, or even commonly write in a short time... We've been looking for processes for the formation of mediums, as we've been looking for diagnostics; but so far we don't know any more effective than those we've indicated!

"Faith, in the apprentice medium, is not a condition of rigour; it helps undeniably efforts, but it is not indispensable: purity of intention, desire and good will are enough, We have seen perfectly unbelieving people be astonished to write in spite of them, while sincere believers can achieve it; which proves that this faculty is due to an organic predisposition."

The conclusion is not rigorous. By admitting, which is indisputable to us, that invisible agents are demons, it is less to man than to the very spirits that preference and exclusion must be attributed. We may say many times, the spirit of lies has no finer tactic to conceal its intervention than to subject it to these intermittances and to veil itself under the so-called varieties, divergences, anomalies of nature,

1 The book of the mediums, 2mc P., c. 47, n. 206, p. 246.

V. — A contemporary author, who wrote on magic a book that was not serious for the substance, licked in form, but especially odieusously hateful and declamatory against the Church, indicates a process, which he believes to be effective, to give himself the vision of a loved death.

Let us cite the main passages of this precious and curious piece.

"This experience," said the author, "is intended to evoke the deaths that are dear to us. I borrow the formulas from a very ancient secret theory. His supernatural results were repeatedly attested by a few minds superior to any surprise of the senses, and whose testimony completely disinterested seems to me irrefutable. I do not mention names, because this revelation of one of the greatest mysteries of occult science binds to privacy communications that impose a delicate reserve on me. Some personal motives also tend to think that overseas manifestations can be obtained, if the evocation is carried out in a properly prepared environment, at a given time, and with the help of certain rites whose effectiveness is realized more or less strongly, depending on the degree of expansion of the religious sentiment that animates us...

"The place chosen for the evocation is not indifferent. The most favorable, certainly, would be the apartment where to be regretted left its last trace. When this condition cannot be fulfilled, in some solitary countryside, one must obtain a place of which P aspect reminds as exactly as possible the measurements and orientation of the mortuary chamber.

"The window must be masked by hermetically attached olive-tree boards, so as not to allow any

1 P, CnrsriaN, History of Magic, p. 653,

exterior light. The ceiling, the four side walls and the floor will be covered with a vertemeral silk hanging, which the evocator himself will adjust with copper nails, without resorting to the help of any foreign hand, because, from that moment on, he alone must enter this reserved place which takes the name doratory.

Then you have to collect the furniture, which the loved one used, the objects that she loved and which received her last glances. They are placed in the order they occupied at the time of death. If we no longer possess these memories, we must at least get ourselves, or have a portrait painted, with the most faithful resemblance possible, at the foot of the person, dressed in the costume and colors she wore in the last days of her life... The evocator must turn to the east to pray, and to the west to evoke. Before entering this small sanctuary, dedicated to the religion of memories, he clothed himself with a blue silk dress, or he applied the talisman of Venus to his chest, etc.

"When these preparations are completed, the evocator imposes twenty-one Retirement Days, which begin with the birthday of the birth or death of the loved one...

"Every day, a little before midnight, the evocator will wear the consecrated costume. At midnight, he will go into the oratory with a lighted candle on his right hand, and the other a hourglass. The candle will be placed on the candelabra, and the hourglass on the altar, will mark the hour. The evocator will then proceed with the renewal of the crown of flowers and garlands. Then he will discover the portrait, and, standing in front of the altar, that is, turned towards the east, he will slowly and slowly return to his heart all the memories that he keeps of the loved person.

"When the upper container of the hourglass is exhausted, the hour of meditation will be over. The evocator will light up at the

Processes: evocative processes 44t

The flame of the candelabra the small fragments of yellow wood and laurel contained in the stove placed on the altar; then, taking a pinch of incense in the shuttle, he will throw three times on the fire, speaking these words: Glory to the Father of universal life, in the splendour of infinite heights, and peace, in the twilight of endless depths, to the spirits of good will.

"Then he will see the portrait again, and, taking his candle in his hand, will come out of the oratory slowly moving back to the threshold. The same ceremonial will take place every evening, at the same hour of midnight, during the first twenty days of the retreat...

"On the twenty-first day having arrived, the Advocate will do his best to get in touch with anyone. If he can't dispense with any interview, he won't have to speak first and send any case back the next day. At noon, he will set up a small round table in the oratory, covered with a table of linen of perfect whiteness, which would never be served. There will be two copper calyxes, one whole bread and one bottle of crystal containing very pure wine. The bread shall be broken, not cut; the wine shall be divided in both chalices. The evocator will offer the deceased half of this mysterious communion, which will be his only food on that day... He will eat standing and silently the other half, in front of the veiled portrait, and at the sole light of a candle. Then he will retreat as usual, receding to the threshold. The bread and chalice offered must be left on the table.

"In the evening, at the solemn hour, the evocator will bring well-dried cypress wood into the oratory, which he will light on the altar and on the tripod. He will throw three pinches of incense on the flame of the altar... During each evaporation of the sacred perfume, he will repeat the doxology: Glory to the Father

of universal life, etc. Then turning towards the east, he will invoke God through the prayers of the worship that the person mentioned professed, living. After these prayers, turning to Poccident......, he will speak mentally: to the loved person, with affection, with faith. He will beg her to show himself and renew this mental abjuration seven times, under the auspices of the seven angelic geniuses, by trying to raise her mind above the weaknesses of human nature. At last, Pévocateur, des wills closed and the face covered with both hands, will call aloud, but with gentleness, the person evoked, by uttering three times all his names. A few moments after the third call, he slowly spreads his arms on a cross, and, opening his eyes, he will see before him the loved one, perfectly recognizable... The evocator and the person mentioned will be able to talk and understand each other in silence through a mutual and mysterious transmission of their thought. The soul evoked finally indicates the time when the evocation can be renewed... The ceremonial conditions of Pevocation are, as we can see, perfectly simple."

VI. — This fantasy seems to be well suited to determining a hallucination; but whatever the historian of magic has thought, whose authority affects us little, it could also AE to an evocation; not to the evocation of a loved soul, but to the one jis demons who counterfly the dead in order to better deceive the living. This superslitious observance of time, place, talisman of Venus, fine stones and fragrant wood, these cabalisticly composed abhorrences, numbered, cut off, this gown of appearance, all this set of vain prescriptions and formulas indicate theurgy, not religion; the lying and perfidious angels; not messengers of light and consolation; Satan and his satellites, not Dicu ct his elect.

In a word, and this word ends and sums up this chapter on evocative processes, direct or indirect calls, confessed or unconscious to spirits, whether they are realized or remain fruitless, in any way that they are formulated or executed, go, not to God, nor to his angels, nor to the souls of the dead, but to demons, the only instigators and agents of these manifestations that amaze man and lose; those, therefore, who develop such businesses and engage in similar practices, are excusable only by a gross good faith of the enormous crime of magic: for magic is there.

Chapter XXII

The External Signs That Betray Commerce with the Demon

There are not always external indications of trade with Satan; however, it may exist. — The physiognomy betrays the witches, but does not go so far as to provide legal proof. — The same is true of the infective smell. — The bodily fingerprints are more decisive. — Form, seat, certainty of these stigmas. — The cold water test; how it was done and what it proved. — Conclusion and summary view of the evil counterfeits.

I. — We are reaching the end of this dark study of magic. After establishing the existence of this voluntary trade with Satan, we have dealt in turn with the pact that binds him, the wonders that result from it, and the methods used to accomplish them.We still have to talk about the external marks that reveal these shameful relations with the spirit of evil.

Let us begin by stating two points which formulate the principles on this subject.

First of all, we must be certain that the practice of magic is not most often revealed by any authentic and undoubted clue. By virtue of the radiation of the soul on the body, it is undoubtedly natural that the domination exercised by the demon over the soul, which has become his affectionate and his slave, has a backlash on the physiognomy; but this backlash is rarely a sign of a po-

- EXTERNAL SIGNS 451 sitive and precise trade with Satan; apart from magic, so many crimes can reach the human soul and strike the traits of a dishonoring stigma! Moreover, one must count with the skilful compositions of hypocrisy: who did not encounter deviled souls affecting the outsides of virtue and holiness?

However this hideous trade of magic can be betrayed by unequivocal signs that denounce it, attest it and even equivalent to the most severe legal proof,

Among the satanic marks listed by the authors, we will mention only the following: the ugliness of the physiognomy, the odour infects, the body prints, the test of water. Many others must be ruled out as inconclusive, such as the impotence to shed tears, and those who seem to us to be admissible rarely lead to complete certainty.

II. — The physiognomy being the reflection of the soul, it is understood that the traits of the unfortunate dedicated to the worship of evil are expressed in a form of turpitude and deformity that inspire disgust and horror. From there, this popular proverb: "Laid like a witch!" Man takes something dark and cruel that makes him look like

1 BinsreLn, de Inaictis criminis maleficii, p. 720: Duodecimum ponunt doctores mallei maleficarum, Grilland. and Bodinus, quod sagae lacrymas emittere not possible. Quod si intelligent lacrymas ex dolore peccatorum aut oleo divinæ suavitatis prodeuntes, facile asentior: alias quod non possint excutere guttas aquarum et lacrymarum parum atribuo. Quia verum de mulieribus quod quidam cecinit:

Ut flerent, oculos erudiere suos.

Delnio, Disg. mag. l. 5, sect. 5, t. 3 p. 74: Hoc merito alii inane and frivolum signum reputant...; proud potest ut talis sit quarumdam consti-

tutio corporis. 2 Bivsrep, de Indiciis, p. 721: Quidam indicium sumunt ex faie de

to the infamous master whom he enslaved. The woman loses what makes the honor and charm of her sex, the gentle, shy and graceful modesty, the modesty that attracts at the same time and that retains, and, instead of delicacy, grace, purity, one sees in her only boldness, hardness, impudence. Like Goürres, we will quote, but without changing anything to the naive form of time, the portrait of Lancre? we have drawn from Necato, famous witch, "superlative and excellent over all the others". "Nature," said the author, "that has never seen such a figure," saw him squandered with his sex to make him a man or a hermaphrodite; for she has all to factfully seen the face, the word, and the hold of a man, and still very rough, bazanate and smoky as a silvain or wild who frequents only the woods and mountains, bearded as a satyre, small eyes, sink, furious and hagard in the form of a wild cat; if it is incanceful and dreadful that the young children and girls whom she drowns on the sabbath, confronting him, could not see his gaze suffer, quoy only for love. As she is in the face of justice, she tries to moderate them and bring them back to some sweetness, pausing and sautéing this natural pride as best she can. So she thought that to throw them on this horrible mud that presides over the Sabbath, to which she had composed her furious and poignant regärds."

The Catholic theologians unanimously and wisely disagreed that the sorcerers were condemned on their mine. This index, apart from not having absolute certainty, can come from a scoff of any other kind than

malaise, ut si oculos in terram defiant, aut terbililes deformesque vultus habeant. Quare communer diici solet: Deformis ut saga.

1 Myslic, 1. 8, ch. 16 t, 5, p. 180.

2 Table of Inconstancy, 1. 2, disc. 4 p. 135.

the magic. But today, when it is no longer a matter of condemning magicians and witches to fire, there are fewer disadvantages to pronounce against them on their physiognomy, and when other clues precede and confirm this one, we would in some cases be inclined to take into account the revelations of the face, eyes and support.

II. — We saw? that the saints became without their knowledge a home of suave emanations. This is the opposite for Satan's followers and slaves: they spread infection around them. The ancients called them foetuses or fetishes, and in the foothills of the Pyrenees they bear the name of poudouës and poudouèros (feminine), whose etymology has just been a whore, stinking.

This smell, which permeates their clothes and all the objects for their use, is an emanation of the uncleanness of their flesh, and the ordinary sign that attests to the presence of the filthy spirit. It is a fact a hundred times related in the appearances of the demon, that he infects those whom he visits. One day he showed himself to Saint Philip of Neri, * in the bustles of a wall in ruins, passing in turn from the shape of a young man to that of an old man. The saint commands him to declare who Jesus Christ is. At this injunction, which thwarted his tricks, the lying angel fled, and the intolerable smell that he left behind made him sufficiently known. We could cite many of the

traits of this kind.

1 BınsreLD, de Indiciis, p. 721: Etsi non sit improbabile quod asseclæ dæmonum deformitatem in faie contrahant, tamen cum deformitas ex multis aliis causis originem sumere posit, valde infirmum and leve indicium hinc desumitur.;

lta DeLRIO, Disg. mag. l. 5, sect. 4, n. 21 t. 3 p. 71.

- What? Part Two, ch. 28, t. 2, p. 515-529.

3 Fætere, smell bad.

4 BB. 26 Mayi, t. 19, p. 448, n. 35.

It is not surprising, then, that the regulars of the mind

Impure and infect contract in his trade this ignoble and accusatory sign. It is claimed that the master does not allow them to wash in the morning, and that one of the ways to escape his tyranny, and also their spells, is to cleanse his hands every day. " Those who neglect such an easy condom should hardly be complained of.

However, the infection they spread may be explained enough by the disgusting unproperty they are doing. And then, so many people who are not sorcerers feel bad, that it would be imprudent to want to conclude from smell to magic; we would rather, the fact of magic being demonstrated on the other hand, conclude from magic to bad smell. In the end, this sign offers little certainty.

IV. — The physical fingerprints on the body are quite different.

Through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and order, Our Lord marks the souls with an ineffaçable character, and sometimes he still prints on the flesh of his servants and friends the glorious stigmatizations of his passion, his blessed name or any other symbol that bears witness to their fidelity and his love. Attentive to forge the divine in all things, the devil also marks his own, those whom he suspects above all?, signs which are the opposite, both in form and in meaning, of sacred prints. These are the stigmatizations of ignominy, of the serv-

i Simon Maioro, Dies canicular., al. 3, t. 2, p. 276: Annumero manuum ablutionem matutinam, quam prodesse ad maleficium illo die arcendum multi existimant, idque sagas Remigio persuasisse litteris proditum est.

- What? Scuorr, Phys. curiosa, 1.4, č. 28 p. 99: Stigmata haec non omnibus a dæmone imprimuntur sagis aut magis, sed iis tantum quibus diffidit ne constants sint. Aliquando etiam cum capti sunt. — Item Boever, Disc, dec sorcerers, Ch, 44, p. 345.

:- Val æ z

The

Sp is tude and damnation, odious parody of the sacramental character and mystical fingerprints. These impressions are made on different parts of the body +, on the head, on the eyes, the eyelids, the lips, the forehead, the neck, on the chest, the back, the heart, the belly, the sexual parts, on the hands, the arms, the legs, the soles of the feet. It is sometimes the complete image of the toad, the dog, the cat, the bat, the spider, or any other object expressing the abjection; sometimes the partial image of these different symbols of the evil spirit, the head, the paw, the eye of one of these unclean animals?. Sometimes there is only a discoloration of the skin, which, at the point of stigmatization, seems obscure, black, reddish, or a depression or roughness as in the scars of a wound. It is also possible that these prints are completely invisible, and that they can only be discovered by the indications of the initiates, or by successively pinging the various parts of the body; for it is usually the proper part of these marks to make the place of the body carrying them insensitive." In witchcraft trials, the eyes of the accused were blindfolded, and punches and lancets were embedded in the flesh without determining the

1 Drrrio, Disg. mag., l. 5, sect. 4, t. 2, p. 75: In virorum enim corporate sæpe visitor sub palpebris, sub labis, sub axillis, in humeris, in sede ima; femis etiam, in mammis vel muliebribus locis.

Cf. From Lance, Table of Inconstancy, l. 3, d. 2, p. 186. — BOGUET, Disc. des sorcerers, c. 44, p. 341.

2 Deco, Disq. mag., l. 5, sect. 4; t. 2, p. 75: Non eadem is forma signi; aliquaando is similar leporis vestigio, aliquado bufonis pedi, aliquaando araneæ, vel catello, vel gliri.

3 DeLRIO, ibid. Non omnium stigma is insensibil; ut docet experientia.

4 Boçet, Disc. des sorcerers, ch. 44, p: 344: The place where these marks are is so insensitive that those who wear them do not move, so that they are filled with bones,

milder bloodshed, no sign of sensitivity and pain. Often the sorcerers, in order to steal the examiners and the judges, began to tremble and shout before they were even touched; but their contempt even ended to betray them!

We find it difficult to contest the fact of satanic prints. The confessions of the accused and accomplices, the repeated experiences of the judges and surgeons who were assisting them, do not, in our view, allow any doubt in this regard. The possibility and the likelihood of these infamous stigmas, far from justifying systematic doubts, condemn them and remove any pretext from them.

Moreover, according to his ordinary tactics, the demon erases at his will and according to his plans of perversion or deceitfulness these marks of his serfdom, and they always disappear at the conversion of the sorcerers.

Finally, assuming them as we have just described them, these signs are the act of Satan; nature is powerless to produce them, and it is messing with them to impute them to God or to his angels.

VI. — A word of the water test remains to be said.

Judgments by fire and water were in great use in the first part of the Middle Ages. The church's defenses had succeeded in suppressing them, when, in the 19th century, the cold water test reappeared in witchcraft trials, in Germany, then in France and elsewhere. This curious experience was as follows: The two arms of the accused being crossed under his legs, and the right thumb attached to the toe of the left foot, the left thumb to the toe of the right foot, he was put on a rope

1 Of Lancre, Table of the Inconstancy of Demons, 1. 3, d. 2, p. 189.

- What? Among the scholars who dare to pronounce on the evil stigmas, we must mainly point out the scientist Zacchias, in his medical-legal questions, l. 7 t. 4, quaest. 1-5, t. 4 p. 544-555.

Under the armpits, he was thrown in the water: when he was sinking, he was innocent; if he was supernatant, he was guilty.

"We often do this ordeal," said Fr. The Brun +, in a river and sometimes in a barrel full of water; for the way in which one binds the one that is thrown into the water, reduces it to such a small volume, that a barrel of three or four feet in diameter could suffice for the experiment. This is always done in front of many people; and one cannot reasonably doubt the facts, report, as they are, by a large number of contemporary authors."

The author we have just quoted rightly adds: "There is no reason to doubt whether the effect was natural or not. We agree, and it is quite obvious, that there is supernatural in the experience. The posture of the one who is tested does not allow him to supernade."

Because these facts seem strange, that's no reason to deny them. We have seen even stranger ones in the exhibition of magical prestiges. Now these well-characterized facts clearly imply extrinsic and evil intervention; for finally, by what physical law could a body so rolled have supernaged?

In the hypothesis of evil intervention, the only acceptable interpretation is that the demon, who dreams only of man's ruin, prevented these unfortunate ones from sinking, in order to have them condemned to the last torment, while keeping them by these wonders themselves in their obstinacy.

The reason alleged by a few authors ê, that the demon, light of its nature, communicated to its followers a lightness that made their bodies less heavy than water, is childish, and has no more serious than the long-term interpretation of

1 Hist. critique of superstitious practices, l. 6, c. 1, p. 216. 2 Ibid. 3 DeLRIO, Disg. mag. 1. 4, q. 5, sect. 1, t. 2, p. 228.

time received, that the water went up in the pumps, pushed

by the horror that nature has emptiness.

VIE. — We have completed this long presentation of the evil counterfacons: let us quickly measure the way we have come.

God alone carries out mystical phenomena, he alone can realize these miraculous derogations from the laws of physical, intellectual, and moral nature.

The devil, however, opposes his intervention to that of God, and to disturb the work of God, to pose himself in God against God himself, he ambition the honors of the mystical truth, always divine, and those of a mystic of his own, horrible parody of divine mysticism.

In this detestable parody, Satan invades man and subjects him to his abhorrent tyranny, assailing him outside, stirring him inside, in order to reproduce in his own way the two forms of divine grace: gentle prevenance, which solicits from the outside, and action, which sanctifies and fruitful within,—or man comes to Satan to ask for his help and perform works of iniquity with this assistance.

These bold parodys can only delude those who want to be deceived. This is quite different from the perfidious counterfeits by which the demon imitates the miraculous intervention of God; it is there above all that there is a danger to take as coming from heaven manifestations that are accomplished by influence and for the benefit of hell.

In order to help discern these tricks, we have indicated the respective and contradictory characters suitable for divine action and diabolical immixation.

We have reported a class of wonders absolutely forbidden to the demon. But he tries to forge them; but it is enough to look carefully at them to discern the truth from the lie.

The ordinary field of evil perfidies is this sea.

that the devil imitates by natural prestige.

We have assigned the extrinsic clues that reveal God's miraculous intervention, and the signs that betray satanic illusions.

The notes are not always sufficient to lead to an obvious conclusion. In these cases, more than one thinks and bears the impatient minds, logic and wisdom demand that one refrain from pronouncement.

Let us make two more remarks, in our opinion of extreme importance when it comes to appreciating demonic manifestations: one door on the childish, ignoble, ridiculous sides, which seem to characterize the role of Satan; the other, on the variability and inconstancy of his interventions.

The invincible movement that impels the fallen angel towards the abjection is explained by its very decay and by the purpose it pursues. Abject by a consequence and a punishment of his fall, Satan tends to make man abject; he tends there by the laughter that shakes faith and extinguishes prayer, by the ease of pleasure and the filthy displays, by the insinuation of doubt and the darings of blasphemy.

In the capricious variations in his prestige, Satan tries to mask his play, to question the facts already accomplished, or to have them attributed to occult causes of nature. Thus are explained the contradictory experiences of the wand, the rotating tables, the spiritism, which distort the science and seem to give rise to the victory of unbelief. But for those who are able to think about it, this variability betrays a free and invisible agent, who escapes from the ordinary and constant servitudes of nature through his power and freedom.

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