The Hammer of Witches

Therefore, they ascribe such things to demons as if they were acting through witches malefici original: "maleficis"; refers specifically to male practitioners of harmful magic. Furthermore, witches use certain images and instrumental objects which they sometimes place under the threshold of a house’s door, or in certain places where cattle gather, or even where people congregate, so that they might be bewitched and sometimes die. But because effects of this kind can happen from those images insofar as they have certain influences received from the celestial bodies this refers to the common medieval belief in astrology, where the alignment of stars could "charge" an object with power, it is argued as follows: just as natural bodies are subject to the celestial bodies, so too are artificial ones. But natural bodies can receive certain hidden virtues; therefore, so can artificial ones. Hence it seems that their works could be practiced through such celestial impressions and not through demons. Furthermore, if true miracles can be performed by the power of nature in the one who works them, so too can marvelous and stupendous works be done by the power of nature. This is proven, for

Gregory says in the second book of the Dialogues.

Saints perform miracles sometimes through prayer and sometimes by power. An example is given for both:

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Peter, by praying, raised the dead Tabitha; but he handed over the lying Ananias and Sapphira to death by rebuking them without prayer These are stories from the biblical Acts of the Apostles; Peter uses divine power to both heal and punish. Therefore, a human being, through the power of their own soul, would be able to transmute or change physical matter in another—changing it from health to sickness or vice-versa. Furthermore, the human body is more noble than other lower bodies. But because of the perception of the human soul, the human body is changed toward heat or cold, as is evident in those who are angry or afraid; indeed, this change sometimes reaches the point of illness and death. Therefore, it is all the more possible for the soul, by its own power, to change physical matter. But the contrary view is this: A spiritual substance cannot impress any form without the help of another agent, as was touched upon above. Hence Augustine says in the aforementioned book: It must not be thought that this matter of visible things serves these transgressing angels at their whim, but only God. Therefore, much less can a human being, by natural power, bring about the effects of witchcraft. In responding: it must be said that there is no lack of those who err in this matter, either excusing witches and

only blaming demons, or ascribing their deeds to certain natural transmutations. Therefore, their falsehood is shown first by the definition of witchcraft maleficium. Concerning this, in the Etymologies original: "viij.ethi.c.ix"; the text likely refers to Book 8 of Isidore of Seville's Etymologies, a standard medieval encyclopedia: Witches malefici are so named on account of the magnitude of their crimes, namely, for performing evil deeds against all people. Whence it is added: these stir up the elements by the work of demons, specifically for the purpose of inciting hailstorms and tempests. Likewise, it says: They disturb the minds of men—understand this to mean causing madness, hatred, or inordinate love. Likewise, it adds: And without any swallowing of poison, they kill souls by the violence of incantations alone. To the same point, in the Canon Law original: "xxvi.q.v.c.nec mirum"; referring to the Decretum Gratiani, the standard collection of Church law, and these are the words of Augustine in The City of God, where it is declared who are called "magi" and "malefici." Magi are those commonly called "malefici" and are named so because of the magnitude of their crimes: these are they who, by God’s permission, stir the elements and disturb the minds of those who trust too little in God, and without any draft of poison, they kill people by the mere violence of a song original: "carminis"; in this context, it means a magic spell or incantation. Whence also Lucan A Roman poet (39–65 AD) known for his epic Pharsalia, which includes vivid scenes of witchcraft says:

A mind polluted by no rot of swallowed
poison perishes by incantations; for they
dare to toss the demons about more quickly
so that they might destroy their enemies
with evil arts.
From which it is clear that in works of this kind, demons must always cooperate with witches. Second, because we can assign a fourfold category of punishing effects: namely ministerial, noxious, maleficial, and natural. Ministerial effects are those sent by the ministry of good angels, just as noxious ones are sent by evil spirits. For Moses struck Egypt with ten plagues by the ministry of good angels, where the magicians The court sorcerers of Pharaoh only cooperated through evil spirits in nine of them. And the three-day plague because of David’s sin regarding the census of the people, and the 185,000 men original: "lxxij. milibus"; the text says 72,000, though the biblical account in 2 Kings 19:35 cites 185,000 of Sennacherib’s army struck down in one night—these were certainly performed by the angels of the Lord, that is, by the good ones who revere and know the Lord. Noxious effects, however, when named in the Scriptures, are "sendings through evil angels" original: "Immissiones per angelos malos" through which that people in the act...