ER VII

The last two exorcisms had been so much talked about in the town, that
Grandier, although he had not been present, knew everything that had
happened, down to the smallest detail, so he once more laid a complaint
before the bailiff, in which he represented that the nuns maliciously
continued to name him during the exorcisms as the author of their
pretended possession, being evidently influenced thereto by his enemies,
whereas in fact not only had he had no communication with them, but had
never set eyes on them; that in order to prove that they acted under
influence it was absolutely necessary that they should be sequestered, it
being most unjust that Mignon and Barre, his mortal enemies, should have
constant access to them and be able to stay with them night and day,
their doing so making the collusion evident and undeniable; that the
honour of God was involved, and also that of the petitioner, who had some
right to be respected, seeing that he was first in rank among the
ecclesiastics of the town.

Taking all this into consideration, he consequently prayed the bailiff to
be pleased to order that the nuns buffering from the so-called possession
should at once be separated from each other and from their present
associates, and placed under the control of clerics assisted by
physicians in whose impartiality the petitioner could have confidence;
and he further prayed that all this should be performed in spite of any
opposition or appeal whatsoever (but without prejudice to the right of
appeal), because of the importance of the matter. And in case the
bailiff were not pleased to order the sequestration, the petitioner would
enter a protest and complaint against his refusal as a withholding of
justice.

The bailiff wrote at the bottom of the petition that it would be at once
complied with.

After Urbain Grandier had departed, the physicians who had been present
at the exorcisms presented themselves before the bailiff, bringing their
report with them. In this report they said that they had recognised
convulsive movements of the mother superior's body, but that one visit
was not sufficient to enable them to make a thorough diagnosis, as the
movements above mentioned might arise as well from a natural as from
supernatural causes; they therefore desired to be afforded opportunity
for a thorough examination before being called on to pronounce an
opinion. To this end they required permission to spend several days an