ed that he had seen at the sabbath no person of
his acquaintance except Mademoiselle de Mandole; that he had seen
there also certain monks of certain orders, which he did not name,
neither did he know the names of the monks. That the devil anointed
the heads of the sorcerers with certain unguents, which quite effaced
every thing from their memory.

Notwithstanding this decree of the Parliament of Provence, many people
believed that Gaufredi was a sorcerer only in imagination; and the
author from whom we derive this history says, that there are some
parliaments, amongst others the Parliament of Paris, which do not
punish sorcerers when no other crimes are combined with magic; and
that experience has proved that, in not punishing sorcerers, but
simply treating them as madmen, it has been seen in time that they
were no longer sorcerers, because they no longer fed their imagination
with these ideas; while in those places where sorcerers were burnt,
they saw nothing else, because everybody was strengthened in this
prejudice. That is what this writer says.

But we cannot conclude from thence that God does not sometimes permit
the demon to exercise his power over men, and lead them to the excess
of malice and impiety, and shed darkness over their minds and
corruption in their hearts, which hurry them into an abyss of disorder
and misfortune. The demon tempted Job[219] by the permission of God.
The messenger of Satan and the thorn in the flesh wearied St.
Paul;[220] he asked to be delivered from them; but he was told that
the grace of God would enable him to resist his enemies, and that
virtue was strengthened by infirmities and trials. Satan took
possession of the heart of Judas, and led him to betray Jesus Christ
his Master to the Jews his enemies.[221] The Lord wishing to warn his
disciples against the impostors who would appear after his ascension,
says that, by God's permission, these impostors would work such
miracles as might mislead the very elect themselves,[222] were it
possible. He tells them elsewhere,[223] that Satan has asked
permission of God to sift them as wheat, but that He has prayed for
them that their faith may be steadfast.

Thus then with permission from God, the devil can lead men to commit
such excesses as we have just seen in Mademoiselle de la Palud and in
the priest Louis Gaufredi, perhaps even so far as really to take them
through the air to unknown spots, and to what is called the witches'
sabb