s
words, verses, characters, images, signs (_qy._ moles), &c., by means
of which magicians succeed in their designs." For my part, I am much
inclined to believe that all the science of the pretended magicians
had no other design than to deceive others, and ended sometimes in
deceiving themselves; and that this magic, now so much vaunted, is
only a chimera. Perhaps even it would be giving one's self superfluous
trouble to undertake to show that everything related of those
nocturnal hypogryphes,[672] of those pretended journeys through the
air, of those assemblies and feasts of sorcerers, is only idle and
imaginary; because those fables being done away with would not prevent
that an infinite number of others would still remain, which have been
repeated and spread on the same subject, and which, although more
foolish and ridiculous than all the extravagances we read in romances,
are so much the more dangerous, because they are more easily believed.
It would, in the opinion of many, be doing these tales too much honor
to attempt to refute them seriously, as there is no one at this day,
in Italy, at least, even amongst the people, who has common sense,
that does not laugh at all that is said of the witches' sabbath, and
of those troops or bands of sorcerers who go through the air during
the night to assemble in retired spots and dance. It is true, that
notwithstanding, that if a man of any credit, whether amongst the
learned or persons of high dignity, maintains an opinion, he will
immediately find partisans; it will be useless to write or speak to
the contrary, it will not be the less followed; and it is hardly
possible that it can be otherwise, so many minds as there are, and so
many different ways of thinking. But here the only question is, what
is the common opinion, and what is most universally believed. It is
not my intention to compose a work expressly on magic, nor to enter
very lengthily on this matter; I shall only exhibit, in a few words,
the reasons which oblige me to laugh at it, and which induce me to
incline to the opinion of those who look upon it as a _pure_ illusion,
and a _real_ chimera. I must, first of all, give notice that you must
not be dazzled by the truth of the magical operations in the Old
Testament, as if from thence we could derive a conclusive argument to
prove the reality of the pretended magic of our own times. I shall
demonstrate this clearly at the end of this discourse, in which I hope
to