“No one can doubt that all the arts and metamorphoses by which witches change men into

beasts
are deceptive illusions and opposed to all nature. I add that any one who holds the contrary opinion
is in danger of Anathema; and in this I am supported by St. Augustine, as also by logical
reasoning.” Compendium Maleficarum, 1608.

“Omnes Angeli, boni et Mali, ex virtute naturali habent potestatem transmutandi corpora nostra.”
“All Angels, good or Evil, possess the power of transmutation of our corporeal bodies.”
St. Thomas Aquinas.

Jean de Nynauld, 1615.

De La Lycanthropie, transformation, and ecstasies of the sorcerers.
That men cannot by any means of the Devil be transformed into beasts, item, that the Devil cannot
separate the soul from the body of the Sorcerers, so that after some time it returns to it's corpus.
Chapter I.

How much the Devil, to gain credit over humans, by turning them from God, taxes as a malicious
mimic to counterfeit the admirable works of our God, if he can in no way change the essences of
things than by illusion; an illusion that can only be properly engendered on those that are his slaves,
and sometimes with divine permission, because of their unbelief, on the debased of Christian faith.
When, therefore, the Sorcerers say in their confessions, that they have been mutated into crows,
magpies, wolves, boars, cats, mice and serpents, and other animals, and that in the form of a raven
they have flown and croaked, and in the shape of a serpent, crawled, and that in the shape of a cat
they enter into small spaces, in the proportions of the body of a real cat, Item, that in the form of a
wolf they stalk the countryside, devouring infants, killing sheep, and other similar things, all after
the oaths of certain ointments that the Devil gives them to use. It is only a pure fable and illusion of
the Devil, thus deceiving the senses of his slaves, who have taken refuge in him: and those who
believe in such things are unworthy of the Christian name, and contempted by God, and derogate
his glory, and annihilate him as in them there is, giving him companion, or ascribing such or similar
power to the Devil, who is the Enemy of God and the human race, as to the Creator and Conserver
of the Universe. (etc...)

The Simples entered into the composition of the Sorcerers unguents and the general virtues thereof.
Chapter II.

Among all the simples, which the Devil uses to disturb the senses of his slaves, the following
appear to hold the first ranking, of which all have the virtue to induce a profound sleep, others
slightly, or else those which disturb and overcome the senses. By various figures and
reprepresentations, as well waking as by sleeping, as could make the root of Belladonna, Morelle
Furiuse (furious Nightshade), the blood of a bat, or a hoopoe (the lapwing or plover), the Aconite,
the Berula (or water-Parsnip), la Morelle Endormante (sleeping nightshade), l'ache
(Helioscandium/Apium Repens/Smallage), la suye (Spanish translations say Thuja Occidentalis),
the Pentaphilon, the Acorum Vulgare, the Parsley, the fronds of the White Poplar, the Opium, the
Hyoscyamus, eyguë (Spanish translations say Cicuta), the Poppy species, the Synochytides, which
makes one see the shadows of Hell, the Evil Spirits, conversely the Anachitides, which makes to
appear the images of the holy Angels: Of all these things the Devil is not satisfied, and as the enemy
of the human race, so much the better to excersize his cruelty and tyranny he persuades the
Sorcerers to sacrifice little children, for the purpose of extracting their grease, and to make of it a
soup to mix in the ointments, there is no truth found in consuming these infernal and diabolical
compositions, merely they exersize his slaves to the most enormous sin, and hatred of the human
race, so that they are plunged into and overwhelmed in the abyss of their own iniquity, that they
cannot hope for repentance, but perish with him.
So, then, of all the aforesaid things, or of a part of those oils or unguents, (not forgetting in this
composition the particular invocation of the Demons, and the magical ceremonies instituted by
them) they anoint all the parts of the body, rubbing them in until the skin blushes, so the pores are
not overt and relaxed, and the oil or ointment penetrates more strongly.
These are the simples, besides which are many others, by which the understanding is disturbed or
troubled, so much that the one that will use it will seem to be mad when speaking, while hearing or
responding, or will fall into a deep sleep, and will be insensitive, for a few hours, or a day. It must
not be forgotten that in these things the Devil does not alter his personnage.
Now, it is not enough to simply describe things which have this or a similar virtue, if we do not
demonstrate the triple usage of such ointments, that we may better clarify this matter and avoid any
doubt that we could achieve it.

On the composition and usage of the first unguent of the Sorcerers.

Chapter III.

We have said before that the Sorcerers with the mark, or to put it better, those who belong to them
with the mark and the authority, do not dare to go to their Synagogues (Sabbaths) in person, for fear
of being recognized by others, and being accused and defamed by a just punishment.
In order to obviate this difficulty by his cunning and deceit, the Devil persuaded them that they
would go there in spirit, provided that applied to themselves an ointment composed of his artifice,
by virtue of which the soul would separate from the body for a few hours, and they would go to the
place assigned by him, the body remaining in their beds with their husbands, or others, lest they be
apprehended from their absence.
But let us examine the composition of such or similar ointments, and see that which it can do:
It is, therefore, composed of the grease of infants, the juice of the Water Parsnip, the Aconite, the
Pentaphilon, the Sleeping Nightshade, and the Suye (Thuja?), etc. and other similar herbs that have
the somnolent virtue, and make strange things to happen while sleeping. It is no wonder then, that
after anointing with the unguent all the parts of the body, and rubbing until they blush, it seems to
them (to which they have their faith and intention) that they are borne in the air as the ointment
penetrates and rises to the brain, and after he has entirely disturbed his senses and the ointment is
fully ascended to the brain, he fills it with diverse figures, so that he seems to see theaters, beautiful
gardens, banquets, beautiful ornaments, vestments, Kings, Magistrates, they also seem to hear
music, to be at the dances, and the embarrasments of the most beautiful people that they desire, they
also see the Devil, crows, prisons, deserts, torments, and all the things to which they delect in, and
they think that they have the enjoyment of them.
These are the causes of these violent dreams, in which the sleepers are thought to be borne into
diverse regions, and to have several affections according to the complexion of each of them and the
intentions of the Devil, who achieves these things by the help of the medium of the ointment, to
which we may add, that the effect of such violent and frequent impressions, so much deprives the
temperature of the brain, that even afterwards the spirits are altered by it, and day, or night they do
not think of another thing, besides which of natural inclination they are consumed to believe
insignificant: as a confirmation of this, an example from Jean Baptiste Della Porta, the Neapolitan.
(etc.)

Of the composition and usage of the second unguent of the Sorcerers.

Chapter IV.

Now, let's come to the second ointment, by which the Devil persuades the Sorcerers to stand upon a
broom or a stick, and to ride in the air, and to go to their synagogues with an incredible speed,
passing up through the fireplace.
What Cardan and Baptiste Porta dealt with lightly, other men denied, saying that this was not an
illusion caused by the virtues of the ointments, which I dare to deny, and to provoke after the
contrary, [I firstly deny that it is caused without the virtue of ointment, but the Devil knows that
they use it for so much better to serve by disturbing their senses,] so that they are thus stupefied,
they do what they otherwise do in their refined sense, they would never venture, nor even think, that
they are at all mesmerized, the recollection of which things returned to them, makes them most
often so confused, that they are ashamed of their turpitude and can not hold the steady gaze of good
people without lowering their countenance, and for that reason they are flatulent, bigoted, solitary,
superstitious, ugly, stinking and dirty.
Now it is necessary to note that in the composition of this ointment there are no narcotic simples,
but only those which have the virtue to disturb the senses by alienating them, as for example, wine
almost definitely, Bella Donna, the brains of a cat, and other things that I keep, not to give
oppurtunity to the machinations of evil. This transport is not carried out by the illusions of profound
sleep, as we observe in the discourse of the virtues of the first ointment by natural causes, but also,
not really by the virtues of the ointment, but by the help of the Devil who carries them away in a
pleasant daydream, just as he carries the Magicians through the air, as is all too common. (etc.)

Of the composition and usage of the third unguent of the Sorcerers.

Chapter V.

Having discoursed so much on the proper and improper virtues of the first and second ointments, of
which the Sorcerers themselves use to go in body, or in spirit, to their nocturnal assemblies, it
finally remains to speak of the third which the Devil gives to the Sorcerers, persuading them that
after they have been anointed, they will be transformed into wild beasts and thus will be able to
conquer the fields.
As for the reality pretended by the Sorcerers and their sacrileges of the glory of God, I have rather
amply shown that it could only be caused by Diabolical illusions: But let us now see if it is possible
that naturally by some ointments or potions, the understanding of a man can be so perverted that he
believes himself veritably transformed into a beast.
As for ointments, they may consist of certain things taken from a toad, a serpent, a hedgehog, a
wolf, a fox, and human blood, mixed together with certain roots, herbs and other similar things
which have virtue to disturb and deceive the imagination.
For as I have said, the Devil always has the sorcerers by some thing taken internally, or else applied
externally, so that having the mind and the senses disturbed by the animal figures, they believe in
taking the form by virtue of such things, as the Devil has persuaded them, that they believe in them,
they make up garments, and make organs suitable for the Evil Spirit to enter into them in order to
perfect his willpower and to confirm them in error, by counterfeiting the illusory forms of the beasts
which they borrow, for example, if they are under the shape of a wolf, they run through the woods,
they rush upon beasts, and most often upon unarmed men and infants that they rip and devour.

Of Natural Lycanthropy
Chapter VI.
(follows a chapter on the familiar ancient legends, the derangement of the mind, and the possible
medical causes of lycanthropy)

Of Natural Things, having certain imaginary virtues, not present in effect, but only in appearance
Chapter VII.

Thus, the senses of Lycanthropes and Cynanthropes aforesaid are deceived and decay naturally by
virtue of the internal fumes and vapours of the black choler exhaled from their heart.
Likewise they may be deceived by potions, and powders taken internally, or by eye drops,
anointings, and perfumes made externally, composed of herbs, fruits seeds, roots, juices, woods, and
some parts of certain animals, which have the virtue of disturbing and deceiving the senses, by
depicting to them vain figures of things which are not really present.
Such and similar things, the Turks compose a certain powder they call Heiranluc (that I will not
speak of for the present) which is taken by the weight of a drachm, or about, [causing them to lose
the speech], forthwith bringing laughter and joy to him who takes of it, all the more because he
thinks he sees things beautiful and pleasant, and for that reasons makes all the gestures of the body
[that he is assisted to a great laughter], then, having come to his senses, he reckons that he has been
in various places, and that he has seen things great and beautiful: we also attribute the same virtues,
or similar ones to Geotephillide (possibly Centipede), when it is taken with wine and myrrh: the
Stramonium in the Latin Solanum does the same, and chiefly, the species called by the Italians
Belladonna, and many others, the use and composition of which I will not speak of because of the
wicked that hurt everything by their depraved affections.
Baptiste Porta the Neapolitan tells us that some of his friends, by a certain potion, alienate a man so
much from his senses that he easily persuades himself that he is metamorphosed into a bird, or
another animal, and according to the variable composition of such potions, for they ever made a
potion, according to which he who had persuaded himself to be changed into a fish, fell to the
ground, stretched out his arms, and moved his legs as if he were about to swim, somehow he also
quivered, trembling, and it seemed to him as if he were submerged. They also made another potion,
which so completely alienated his senses, that he was persuaded he was completely morphed into a
goose, and jabbed at the grass with his mouth, and his teeth knocked against in the ground, in the
manner of a goose, he sang also, and sprang about in his movements.
Touching on the subject of mesmerism, Jules Scalinger and Mathiole tell a remarkable story of
passers-by: They say, that the powder of a certain root in wine, which is good, and spicy to the
palate, they command the passer-by that they take hold of to take the time to dip his fingers in the
wine, and to suck it, and to say what sort of a taste it has. If he stops and puts it in his mouth, he is
constrained to jostle and bite them in a big crisis, pretending to console him, they rub the hands and
wrists with a certain ointment, then laugh at a piece of money they intentionally let fall, asking the
victim to pick it up. Having lowered himself, he can not rise again, and by the virtue of the ointment
becomes insensate, and falls flat on the ground, and like the one who believed he had taken the form
of a fish, he swims, and cries out that the waters prevail over him. When he returns to his feet, the
other looks at him askew, and reproaches him for these outrages, then he seems to be running after
the victim and pursuing him, which continues until the ointment is finished, then he comes back to
himself, and like one who has escaped from drowning, he wrings his hair, his beard and his clothes,
dries his arms and flees.
(etc.)
The same author, speaking of perfumes, says that if one perfumes himself with Linseed, and
Psellium, with the roots of Violet and Parsley, he will see future things, as well as a perfume with
the root of Bruyere (Heather...), the juice of Hemlock (cyguë), the Henbane and seed of the Black
Poppy with some other things, will cause to see very strange things, as if to drive the evil spirits.

(Following, the familiar formulae, as in Liber Officium Spirituum, Sepher Raziel, from Waite:)
“A short way to Magic by means of perfumes is given by Nyrauld in his work on Lycanthropy. To discern future
events, fumigate yourself with linseed and seed of psellium, or with roots of violets and wild parsley. To drive away evil
spirits and phantoms, make a perfume of calamon, peony, mint and palma Christi. To attract serpents, burn the
windpipe of a stag; to expel them, burn a horn of the same animal. Make a perfume with gall of fish, thyme, roses and
aloe wood. When kindled, sprinkle with water or blood, and presently the whole house will seem full of water or of
blood, as the case may be. Add earth which has been turned up by a ploughshare, and the ground will appear to tremble.
The enumeration might be continued almost indefinitely.”

Refutation of the Opinions and arguments of Jean Bodin, in his six chapters of Demonomanie,
maintaining the reality of the Lycanthropy of the Sorcerers.
Chapter VIII.

Du Diable, etc, et faux miracles de Antechrist, etc.

(etc.)

FIN.