The night being come, I was introduced into the chamber of the possessed whom they had placed upon a bed in such a manner that he could not rise. The presence of his friends prevented me from the proposition of certain questions I had meditated. The following will serve as a sample:
Is it possible to find out the philosopher’s stone?
Can the quadrature of the circle be discovered?
Is there an universal panacea for every disease?
Is there among herbs, any simples which can inspire love in women, or protect from blows and wounds?
I had put in writing some other objects of my curiosity; but as it was not a convenient time to propound them, I began to feel the pulse of the possessed. It was frequent and elevated: from time to time his eyes were troubled; and he had convulsive movements, from which he suffered very much.
After having examined his body, I examined his mind, speaking to him in Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Indian, and even in the Mexican tongue. He answered me always very appropriately in Spanish, which convinced me that he was in truth possessed with a devil; for although he spake not all languages, he nevertheless understood them, which could not naturally happen without study or travel. His relations assured me he had done neither the one nor the other.
I demanded of the demon, what name he had in hell?
He answered, “that he had no other appellation than that of the employment which he exercised in the world: that he had been for a long time in the service of an alguazil, in whom he inspired all the chicanery and wickedness with which he plagued poor people.”
Let us remark here, that the word alguazil is borrowed from the Moresco tongue, and signifies in Spanish, a constable, a cryer, a clerk, or other subaltern of justice.