The Hammer of Witches

...that it cannot be bewitched by witches and demons This sentence completes a thought from the preceding page regarding those who are protected from sorcery.. The first chapter concerns the various means by which demons, in order to increase their faithlessness, allure innocent and honest girls through witches. The second chapter concerns the manner of their sacrilegious profession original: "sacrilege professionis"; referring to the formal vows or "pact" made to the Devil., with a declaration of the homage to be paid to the Devil. The third concerns the manner in which they are bodily transported from place to place. The fourth concerns the manner in which they subject themselves to incubus demons original: "incubis demonibus"; male demons believed to have sexual intercourse with women.; in which it is also discussed how they multiply from these, and whether the incubus always approaches the witch with the discharge of semen, and whether at one time more than another, and similarly regarding the place, and whether they perform those acts of filth visibly with greater or lesser sexual pleasure original: "venerea delectatione", and whether incubi only approach women who were themselves conceived from such filth. The fifth chapter concerns the general manner in which they exercise their witchcraft through the sacraments of the Church The authors believed witches profaned holy items like the Eucharist for their spells., and concerning the six ways in which they can inflict true illnesses—though not true healings—by natural power upon all bodily creatures, except for the celestial bodies. The sixth concerns the manner in which they are accustomed to hinder the generative power original: "vim generatiuam"; referring to causing impotence or infertility.. The seventh concerns the manner in which they are accustomed to take away male members original: "membra virilia"; this refers to the famous and bizarre claim in the Malleus that witches could make a man's penis appear to vanish through illusion.; because those things which were touched upon in the first part regarding the power to do so are now declared through the methods of operation; therefore, the subject matter is not the same in both places. The eighth concerns the manner in which they transform men into animal forms. The ninth concerns the manner in which demons exist inside bodies without injury when they perform illusory transformations. The tenth concerns the manner in which demons substantially inhabit men through the operations of witches. The eleventh concerns the manner in which they can inflict every kind of illness; this, however, is treated in general. Specifically, however, in the following twelfth chapter, the more serious illnesses they inflict are discussed. The thirteenth concerns the manner in which midwife-witches original: "malefice obstetrices" inflict greater damage than all others, either by killing infants or by offering them to demons. The fourteenth concerns the manner

in which they inflict various harms upon livestock original: "iumentis"; specifically beasts of burden or farm animals.. The fifteenth concerns the manner in which they are accustomed to stir up hailstorms and tempests and to flash lightning. The sixteenth concerns the three ways in which men—and not women—are found to be infected as witches: First, regarding archer-witches; second, regarding enchanters who, through sacrilegious charms, know how to enchant lethal weapons against any harm, and this through words; third, those who do so through short writings original: "breuia scripta"; referring to written talismans or amulets..

But regarding the remedies that remove witchcraft, which is the second principal part of this second section: first, the question is posed: Whether it is lawful to remove witchcraft by other witchcraft or through illicit means? And it has nine chapters. The first concerns the ecclesiastical remedy against incubus and succubus demons. The second concerns remedies against the bewitchment of the generative power. The third concerns remedies for those bewitched in regards to inordinate love or hatred. The fourth concerns remedies where male members are taken away by illusory art, and where men are transformed into animal forms. The fifth concerns remedies against those possessed through witchcraft. The sixth concerns remedies against any illnesses whatever brought on by witches, and this through lawful exorcisms. The seventh concerns remedies against hailstorms and lightning, and also regarding bewitched livestock. The eighth concerns certain hidden remedies against certain hidden infestations of demons. The ninth concerns remedies for those who had totally devoted themselves to demons for the sake of some temporal advantage.

The third part of the work concerns the final remedies, not so much against their works as against the persons of the witches, regarding their extermination; it contains three principal parts: namely, the method of beginning the judicial process, the method of continuing it, and the method of sentencing, punishing, and taking action on the questions. And the first part contains five questions. The second twelve. The third...