one of their murderous expeditions, an
archer shot one of them with a charmed arrow. Tracing the wounded
creature to Peter's residence, the pursuers found the luckless man in
bed in his natural shape, with the arrow deep in his thigh. Another
man-wolf was punished by having his feet amputated, and in a moment he
became a man without hands or feet.

Mountain parsley, wolves-bane, leaves of the poplar, and soot were
frequently used in the preparation of witch ointment; and so were
yellow water-cresses, the blood of a mouse, night-shade, oil, etc. A
witch, rubbed all over with a preparation of these, could skim through
the air in a moonlight night, singing, dancing, and otherwise making
merry with her companions.

So generally did the belief in witchcraft, incantations, and charms
prevail in the time of Pope Innocent VIII. and of Pope Julius II.,
that the Church authorities sent to the inquisitors the following
official notice and instructions:--"It has come to our ears that many
lewd persons of both kinds, as well male as female, using the company
of the devils _Incubus_ and _Succubus_, with incantations, charms,
conjurations, etc., to destroy the births of women with child, the
young of all cattle, the corn of the field, the grapes of the vines,
the fruit of the trees; also men, women, and cattle of all kinds, and
beasts of the field; and with their said enchantments, etc., do
utterly extinguish and spoil all vineyards, orchards, meadows,
pastures, grass, green corn, and ripe corn: yea, men and women
themselves are by their imprecations so afflicted with external and
internal pains and diseases that the births of children are but few:
Our pleasure therefore is, that all impediments that may hinder the
inquisitors' office be utterly removed from among the people, lest
this blot of heresy proceed to poison and defile them that may yet be
innocent: And therefore we ordain, by virtue of the apostolical
authority, that our inquisitors may execute the office of inquisition
by all tortures and afflictions, in all places, and upon all persons,
what and wheresoever, as well in every place and diocese as upon any
person; and that as freely as though they were named, expressed, or
cited in this our commission."

Witches have confessed their power to kill a neighbour by a word, a
wish, or a look.

In the wars between the kings of Denmark and Sweden, in 1563, the
Danes wrote that the King of Sweden carried about with him in camp