The Hammer of Witches by Henricus Institoris

Author:Henricus Institoris [Institoris, Henricus]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

[NOTE ON SOURCES

Major identified sources for Ch. 11:

Nider, Praec. 1.11.15, 16]

The method by which they inflict other quite similar illnesses in particular on humans

Chapter twelve

WHO COULD MAKE AN account of their having inflicted other illness in the bodies of humans, like blindness or very sharp pains and agonies?

Nonetheless, let us bring forward a few of the things which we have clearly seen with our eyes, and which came to the notice of one[302] of the inquisitors.

Once when an inquisition was being conducted into sorceresses in the town of Innsbruck, the following occurrence was related among others.[303] A respectable person who was joined in marriage to a member of the Archduke’s retinue testified in the presence of a notary (and so on, according to legal requirement),[304] that when she was acting as a servant to one of the citizens when she was a maiden, it happened that his wife grew weak with a severe headache.[305] A certain woman arrived to heal it and was able to lessen the pain with her charms and certain other practices. “I carefully watched her procedure and saw that when she poured water into a dish, the water rose up into another jar contrary to the nature of water.” (The woman also used other ceremonies,[306] which it is unnecessary to relate.) “I observed that the headache in the lady was not being lessened in any way as a result of these procedures,[307] and in outrage I uttered the following words to the sorceress. ‘I don’t know what you are doing. You are merely doing superstitious things, for your own benefit.’[308] Then the sorceress immediately rejoined, ‘Three days from now, you will tell whether or not they are superstitious,’[309] which the outcome of the situation proved. For on the morning of the third day, while I was sitting and holding a spindle, great pain suddenly attacked my body, first in the internal areas, so that there was no part of the body on which I did not feel terrible jabbings. Second, it seemed to me just as if burning coals were constantly being poured over my head. Third, on the skin of the body from the top of my head to the soles of my feet there would not have been the space of a needle point where there wasn’t a blister filled with white pus. I remained like this until the fourth day, wailing amidst these pains and hoping only for death. Finally, the husband of my lady told me to enter a certain barn.[310] I walked slowly while he led the way until we were in front of the barndoor. ‘Look,’ he said to me. ‘Above the door of the inn there is a piece of a white cloth.’[311] I said, ‘I see it well.’ Then he said, ‘To the best of your abilities, take it away, because you will perhaps feel better.’ Then, to the best of my abilities, while I held the door with one arm, I grabbed the piece with the other.[312] ‘Open it,’ said the lord, ‘and examine carefully what is placed in it.

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