now, I think, in the Turin Museum. Also a catalogue of the tortures the magician underwent before he
was burned. Now, there is no manner of doubt that there were such accusations, nor that there was such
a trial; the papyrus is authentic. But what, actually, was at the back of it? Something happened-but what
was it? Is the story only another record of superstition-or does it deal with the fruit of the dark
wisdom?"
Ricori said: "You, yourself, watched that dark wisdom fruit. Are you still unconvinced of its reality?"
I did not answer; I continued: "The knotted cord-the Witch's Ladder. That, too, is most ancient. The
oldest document of Frankish legislation, the Salic Law, reduced to written form about fifteen hundred
years ago, provided the severest penalties for those who tied what it named the Witch's Knot-"
"La Ghana della strega," he said. "Well, do we know that cursed thing in my land-and to our black