BY JOHANN WEYER

Johann Weyer (1515–1588) was a pioneering Dutch physician. He was one of the first major figures to argue that those accused of witchcraft were often suffering from "melancholy" (mental illness) rather than practicing actual magic.

ON THE

DECEPTIONS

original: "De praestigiis daemonum, et incantationibus ac ueneficiis Libri sex, aucti & recogniti." The word "praestigiis" refers to the "tricks" or "illusions" used by demons to deceive human perception.

A woodcut printer's device featuring an oval central scene within an elaborate Renaissance-style frame. In the center, the mythological figure Arion stands atop a dolphin in a wavy sea, holding a lyre. The word "ARION." appears at the top of the oval. Surrounding the figure within the oval border are the Latin mottos: "The Fates find a way" original: "FATA VIAM INVENIVNT" (left/bottom) and "To virtue, no way is impassable" original: "INVIA VIRTVTI NVLLA EST VIA" (right).

This "privilege" was a 16th-century form of copyright protection granted by the Holy Roman Emperor to the printer.

Johannes Oporinus was a famous scholar-printer in Basel, known for publishing significant works on anatomy and religion.