om Satan himself, who flogged them
with thorns or scorpions till they were covered with blood, and unable
to sit or stand.

When this ceremony was concluded, they were all amused by a dance of
toads. Thousands of these creatures sprang out of the earth; and
standing on their hind-legs, danced, while the devil played the
bagpipes or the trumpet. These toads were all endowed with the faculty
of speech, and entreated the witches to reward them with the flesh of
unbaptized babes for their exertions to give them pleasure. The witches
promised compliance. The devil bade them remember to keep their word;
and then stamping his foot, caused all the toads to sink into the earth
in an instant. The place being thus cleared, preparation was made for
the banquet, where all manner of disgusting things were served up and
greedily devoured by the demons and witches; although the latter were
sometimes regaled with choice meats and expensive wines from golden
plates and crystal goblets; but they were never thus favoured unless
they had done an extraordinary number of evil deeds since the last
period of meeting.

After the feast, they began dancing again; but such as had no relish
for any more exercise in that way, amused themselves by mocking the
holy sacrament of baptism. For this purpose, the toads were again
called up, and sprinkled with filthy water; the devil making the sign
of the cross, and all the witches calling out, "In nomine Patrica,
Aragueaco Petrica, agora! agora! Valentia, jouando goure gaits
goustia!" which meant, "In the name of Patrick, Petrick of
Aragon,--now, now, all our ills are over!"

When the devil wished to be particularly amused, he made the witches
strip off their clothes and dance before him, each with a cat tied
round her neck, and another dangling from her body in form of a tail.
When the cock crew, they all disappeared, and the Sabbath was ended.

This is a summary of the belief which prevailed for many centuries
nearly all over Europe, and which is far from eradicated even at this
day. It was varied in some respects in several countries, but the main
points were the same in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain,
and the far North of Europe.

The early annals of France abound with stories of supposed sorcery, but
it was not until the time of Charlemagne that the crime acquired any
great importance. "This monarch," says M. Jules Garinet, ["Histoire de
la Magie en France. Rois de la seconde race,