Item, that there was one Bajanus a Jew, being the sonne of Simeon, which could, when he list, turne himselfe into a woolfe; and by that meanes could escape the force and danger of a whole armie of men. Which thing (saith Bodin) is woonderfull: but yet (saith he) it is much more marvelous, that men will not beleeve it. For manie poets affirme it; yea, and if you looke well into the matter (saith he) you shall find it easie to doo. Item, he saith, that as naturall woolves persecute beasts; so doo these magicall woolves devoure men, women, and children.Leviti. 16. [26, 22] And yet God saith to the people (I trowe) and not to the cattell of Israell;Deut. 32. [v. 24] If you observe not my commandements, I will send among you the beasts of the feeld, which shall devoure both you and your cattell. Item, I will send the teeth of beasts upon you. Where is Bodins distinction now become? He never saith, I will send witches in the likenes of wolves, &c: to devoure you or your cattell. Nevertheles, Bodin saith it is a cleare case: for the matter was disputed upon before pope Leo the seventh, and by him all these matters were judged possible: and at that time (saith he) were the transformations of Lucian and Apuleius made canonicall.
Furthermore he saith,Stasus a witch could not be apprehended, and why? that through this art they are so cunning that no man can apprehend them, but when they are a sleepe. Item, he nameth another witch, that (as M. Mal. saith) could not be caught, bicause he would transforme himselfe into a mouse, and runne into everie little hole, till at length he was killed comming out of the hole of a jamme J. Bodin. Mal. malef. in a windowe: which indeed is as possible, as a camell to go through a needels eie. Item, he saith, that diverse witches at Vernon turned themselves into cats, and both committed and received much hurt. But at ArgentineJohn. Bodin. Mal. malef. Barth. Spin. &c. there was a wonderfull matter done, by three witches of great wealth, who transforming themselves into three cats, assalted a faggot-maker: who having hurt them all with a faggot sticke, was like to have beene put to death.Mal. malef. part. 3. But he was miraculouslie delivered, and they worthilie punished; as the storie saith, from whence/92. Bodin had it.
AfterAn error about Lycanthropia. a great manie other such beastlie fables, he inveieth against such physicians, as saie that Lycanthropia is a disease, and not a transformation. Item, he mainteineth, as sacred and true, all Homers fables of Circes and/71. Ulyffes his companions: inveieng against Chrysostome, who rightlie interpreteth *Homers[* Sic.] meaning to be, that Ulyffes his people were by the harlot Circes made in their brutish maners to resemble swine.
But least some poets fables might be thought lies (whereby the witchmongers arguments should quaile) he mainteineth for true the most part of Ovids Metamorphôsis, and the greatest absurdities and impossibilities in all that booke: marie he thinketh some one tale therein may be fained. Finallie, he confirmeth all these toies by the storie of Nabuchadnez-zar. And bicause (saith he) Nabuchadnez-zar continued seven yeres in the shape of a beast, therefore may witches remaine so long in the forme of a beast; having in all the meane time, the shape, haire, voice, strength, agilitie, swiftnes, food and excrements of beasts, and yet reserve the minds and soules of women or men. Howbeit, S. AugustineAugust. lib. 8 de civit. Dei. cap. 18.
Idem. lib. de spiritu & anima, cap. 26. (whether to confute or confirme that opinion judge you) saith; Non est credendum, humanum corpus dæmonum arte vel potestate in bestialia lineamenta converti posse: We may not beleeve that a mans bodie may be altered into the lineaments of a beast by the divels art or power. Item, Bodin saith, that the reason whie witches are most commonlie turned into woolves, is; bicause they usuallie eate children, as woolves eate cattell. Item, that the cause whie other are truelie turned into asses, is; for that such have beene desirous to understand the secrets of witches. Whie witches are turned into cats, he alledgeth no reason, and therefore (to helpe him foorth with that paraphrase)Ironia. I saie, that witches are curst queanes, and manie times scratch one another, or their neighbours by the faces; and therefore perchance are turned into cats. But I have put twentie of these witchmongers to silence with this one question; to wit, Whether a witch that can turne a woman into a cat, &c: can also turne a cat into a woman?/
The second Chapter.93.
Absurd reasons brought by Bodin, and such others, for confirmation of transformations.
HESE examples and reasons might put us in doubt, that everie asse, woolfe, or cat that we see, were a man, a woman, or a child. I marvell that no man useth this distinction in the definition of a man. But to what end should one dispute against these creations, and recreations; when Bodin washeth away all our arguments with one word, confessing that none can create any thing but God; acknowledging also the force of the canons, and imbracing the opinions of such divines, as write against him in this behalfe? Yea he dooth now (contrarie to himselfe elsewhere) affirme, that the divell cannot alter his forme. And lo, this is his distinction,J. Bod. lib. 2. de mag. dæmon. cap. 6. Non essentialis forma (id est ratio) sed figura solùm permutatur: The essentiall forme (to wit, reason) is not changed, but the shape or figure. And thereby he prooveth it easie enough to create men or beasts with life, so as they remaine without reason. Howbeit, I thinke it is an easier matter, to turne Bodins reason into the reason of an asse, than his bodie into the shape of a sheepe: which he saith is an easie matter;Gen. 19, 24. & 26. & 27. bicause Lots/72. wife was turned into a stone by the divell. Whereby he sheweth his grosse ignorance. As though God that commanded Lot upon paine of death not to looke backe, who also destroied the citie of Sodome at that instant, had not also turned hir into a salt stone. And as though all this while God had beene the divels drudge, to go about this businesse all the night before, and when a miracle should be wrought, the divell must be faine to doo it himselfe.
Item,J. Bod. lib. de dæmon. 2. cap. 20.
M. Mal. pa. 1. quæ. 9. he affirmeth, that these kind of transfigurations are more common with them in the west parts of the world, than with us here in the east. Howbeit, this note is given withall; that that is ment of the second persons, and not of the first: to wit, of the bewitched, and not of the witches. For they can trans/forme94. themselves in everie part of the world, whether it be east, west, north, or south.John. Bodin. lib. de dæmon. 2. cap. 1. Marrie he saith, that spirits and divels vex men most in the north countries, as Norway, Finland, &c: and in the westerne ilands, as in the west India: but among the heathen speciallie, and wheresoever Christ is not preached. And that is true, though not in so foolish, grosse, and corporall a sense as Bodin taketh it. One notable instance of a witches cunning in this behalfe touched by Bodin in the chapter aforesaid, I thought good in this place to repeat: he taketh it out of M. Mal.Mal. malefic. par. 2. quæ. 2. cap. 4. which tale was delivered to Sprenger by a knight of the Rhods, being of the order of S. Jones at Jerusalem; and it followeth thus.