din,
Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, in which he says:--"The pope commands you
to inquire and proceed against those who sacrifice to demons, worship
them, or pay them homage, by giving them for a token a written paper,
or something else, to bind the demon, or to work some charm by
invoking him; who, abusing the sacrament of baptism, baptize images of
wax, or of other matters with invocation of demons; who abuse the
eucharist, or consecrated wafer, or other sacraments, by exercising
their evil spells. You will proceed against them with the prelates, as
you do in matters of heresy; for the pope gives you the power to do
so." The letter is dated from Avignon, the 22d of August, 1320.

At the trial of Enguerrand de Marigni, they brought forward a wizard
whom they had surprised making waxen images, representing King Louis
le Hutin and Charles de Valois, and meaning to kill them by pricking
or melting these images.

It is related also that Cosmo Rugieri, a Florentine, a great atheist
and pretended magician, had a secret chamber, where he shut himself up
alone, and pricked with a needle a wax image representing the king,
after having loaded it with maledictions and devoted it to destruction
by horrible enchantments, hoping thus to cause the prince to languish
away and die.

Whether these conjurations, these waxen images, these magical words,
may have produced their effects or not, it proves at any rate the
opinion that was entertained on the subject--the ill will of the
wizards, and the fear in which they were held. Although their
enchantments and imprecations might not be followed by any effect, it
is apparently thought that experience on that point made them dreaded,
whether with reason or not.

The general ignorance of physics made people at that time take many
things to be supernatural which were simply the effects of natural
causes; and as it is certain, as our faith teaches us, that God has
often permitted demons to deceive mankind by prodigies, and do them
injury by extraordinary means, it was supposed without examining into
the matter that there was an art of magic and sure rules for
discovering certain secrets, or causing certain evils by means of
demons; as if God had not always been the Supreme Master, to permit or
to hinder them; or as if He would have ratified the compacts made with
evil spirits.

But on examining closely this pretended magic, we have found nothing
but poisonings, attended by superstition and im