For our present purpose the last class
of witchcraft is that which is practised in three forms by men; and
first we must consider the seven deadly and horrible crimes which are
committed by wizards who are archers. For first, on the Sacred Day of
the Passion of Our Lord, that is to say, on Good Friday, as it is
called, during the solemnization of the Mass of the Presanctified
they shoot with arrows, as at a target, at the most sacred image of
the Crucifix. Oh, the cruelty and injury to the Saviour! Secondly,
though there is some doubt whether they have to utter a verbal form
of apostasy to the devil in addition to that apostasy of deed, yet
whether it be so or not, no greater injury to the Faith can be done
by a Christian. For it is certain that, if such things were done by
an infidel, they would be of no efficacy; for no such easy method of
gratifying their hostility to the Faith is granted to them. Therefore
these wretches ought to consider the truth and power of the Catholic
Faith, for the confirmation of which God justly permits such
crimes.
Thirdly, such an archer has to
shoot three or four arrows in this way, and as a consequence he is
able to kill on any day just the same number of men. Fourthly, they
have the following assurance from the devil; that though they must
first actually set eyes on the man they wish to kill, and must bend
their whole will on killing him, yet it matter not where the man may
shut himself up, for he cannot be protected, but the arrows which
have been shot will be carried and struck into him by the devil.
Fifthly, they can shoot an arrow with such
precision as to shoot a penny from a person's head without hurting
his head, and they can continue to do this indefinitely. Sixthly, in
order to gain this power they have to offer homage of body and soul
to the devil. We shall give some instances of this sort of
practice.
For a certain prince of the
Rhineland, named Eberhard Longbeard because he let his beard grow,
had, before he was sixty years old, acquired for himself some of the
Imperial territory, and was besieging a certain castle named
Lendenbrunnen because of the raids which were made by the men of the
castle. And he had in his company a wizard of this sort, named
Puncker, who so molested the men of the castle that he killed them
all in succession with his arrows, except one. And this is how he
proceeded. Whenever he had looked at a man, it did not matter where
that man went to or hid himself, he had only to loose an arrow and
that man was mortally wounded and killed; and he was able to shoot
three such arrows every day because he had shot three arrows at the
image of the Saviour. It is probable that the devil favours the
number three more than any other, because it represents an effective
denial of the Holy Trinity. But after he had shot those three arrows,
he could only shoot with the same uncertainty as other men. At last
one of the men of the castle called out to him mockingly, “Puncker,
will you not at least spare the ring which hangs in the gate?”
And he answered from outside in the night, “No; I shall take it
away on the day that the castle is captured.” And he fulfilled
his promise: for when, as has been said, all were killed except one,
and the castle had been taken, he took that ring and hung it in his
own house at Rorbach in the diocese of Worms, where it can be seen
hanging to this day. But afterwards he was one night killed with
their spades by some peasants whom he had injured, and he perished in
his sins.
It is told also of this man,
that a very eminent person wished to have proof of his skill, and for
a test placed his little son before the target with a penny on his
cap, and ordered him to shoot the penny away without removing the
cap. The wizard said that he would do it, but with reluctance, not
being sure whether the devil was seducing him to his death. But,
yielding to the persuasions of the prince, he placed one arrow in
readiness in the cord which was slung over his should, fitted another
to his bow, and shot the penny from the cap without hurting the boy.
Seeing this, the prince asked him why he had placed the arrow in that
cord; and he answered: “If I had been deceived by the devil and
had killed my son, since I should have had to die I would quickly
have shot you with the other arrow to avenge my death.”
And though such wickedness is permitted by God
for the proving and chastisement of the faithful, nevertheless more
powerful miracles are performed by the Saviour's mercy for the
strengthening and glory of the Faith.
For in the diocese of Constance, near the castle of Hohenzorn and a
convent of nuns, there is a newly-built church where may be seen an
image of Our Saviour pierced with an arrow and bleeding. And the
truth of this miracle is shown as follows. A miserable wretch who
wished to be assured by the devil of having three or four arrows with
which he could, in the manner we have told, kill whom he pleased,
shot and pierced with an arrow (just as it is still seen) a certain
Crucifix at a crossroad; and when it miraculously began to bleed, the
wretch was stuck motionless in his steps by Divine power. And when he
was asked by a passer-by why he stood fixed there, he shook his head,
and trembling in his arms and his hands, in which he held the bow,
and all over his body, could answer nothing. So the other looked
about him, and saw the Crucifix with the arrow and the blood, and
said: “You villain, you have pierced the image of Our Lord!”
And calling some others, he told them to see that he did not escape
(although, as has been said, he could not move), and ran to the
castle and told what had happened. And they came down and found the
wretched man in the same place; and when they had questioned him, and
he had confessed his crime, he was removed from that district by
public justice, and suffered a miserable death in merited expiation
of his deeds.
But, alas! how horrible
it is to think that human perversity is not afraid to countenance
such crimes. For it is said that in the halls of the great such men
are maintained to glory in their crimes in open contempt of the
Faith, to the heavy offence of the Divine Majesty, and in scorn of
Our Redeemer; and are permitted to boast of their deeds.
Wherefore such protectors, defenders and patrons are to
be judged not only heretics, but even apostates from the Faith, and
are to be punished in the manner that will be told. And this is the
seventh deadly sin of these wizards. For first they are by very law
excommunicated; and if the patrons are clerics they are degraded and
deprived of all office and benefit, nor can they be restored except
by a special indulgence from the Apostolic See. Also, if after their
proscription such protectors remain obstinate in their
excommunication for the period of a year, they are to be condemned as
heretics.
This is in accordance with
the Canon Law; for, in Book VI, it touches on the question of direct
or indirect interference with the proceedings of Diocesans and
Inquisitors in the cause of the Faith, and mentions the aforesaid
punishment to be inflicted after a year. For it say: We forbid any
interference from Potentates, temporal Lords and Rulers, and their
Officials, etc. Anyone may refer to the chapter.
And further, that witches and their protectors are by very law
to be excommunicated is shown in the Canon of the suppressing of the
heresy of witchcraft; especially where it says: We excommunicate and
anathematize all heretics, Catharists, Sectaries . . . and others, by
whatever names they are known, etc. And with these it includes all
their sympathizers and protectors, and others; saying later on: Also
we excommunicate all followers, protectors, defenders and patrons of
such heretics.
The Canon Law
prescribes various penalties which are incurred within the space of a
year by such heretics, whether laymen or clerics, where it says: We
place under the ban of excommunication all their protectors, patrons
and defenders, so that when any such has been so sentenced and has
scorned to recant his heresy, within a year from that time he shall
be considered an outlaw, and shall not be admitted to any office or
council, nor be able to vote in the election of such officers, nor be
allowed free opportunity of giving evidence; he shall not succeed to
any inheritance, and no one shall be held responsible for any
business transaction with him. If he be a judge, his judgement shall
not stand, nor shall any case be brought to his hearing. If he be an
advocate, he shall not be allowed to plead. If he be a notary, no
instrument drawn up by him shall have any weight, but is to be
condemned together with its condemned author; and similar penalties
are decreed for the holders of other offices. But if he be a cleric,
he is to be degraded from all office and benefice; for, his guilt
being the greater, it is more heavily avenged. And if any such, after
they have been marked down by the Church, contemptuously try to
ignore their punishment, the sentence of excommunication is to be
rigorously applied to them to the extreme limits of vengeance. And
the clergy shall not administer the Sacraments of the Church to such
heretics, nor presume to give them Christian burial, nor accept their
alms and oblations, on pain of being deprived of their office, to
which they can in no way be restored without a special indulgence
from the Apostolic See.
There are,
finally, many other penalties incurred by such heretics even when
they do not persist in their obstinacy for a year, and also by their
children and grandchildren: for they can be degraded by a Bishop or
by an Inquisitor, declared deprived of all titles, possessions,
honours and ecclesiastical benefits, in fine of all public offices
whatsoever. But this is only when they are persistently and
obstinately impenitent. Also their sons to the second generation may
be disqualified and unable to obtain either ecclesiastical preferment
or public office; but this is to be understood only of the
descendants on the father's side, and not on the mother's, and only
of those who are impenitent. Also all their followers, protectors,
fautors and patrons shall be denied all right of petition or appeal;
and this is explained as meaning that, after a verdict has been
returned that they are such heretics, then can they make no appeal
before their sentence, however much they may have been in any respect
ill-used or treated with undue severity. Much more could be adduced
in support of our standpoint, but this is sufficient.
Now for the better understanding of what has been said,
some few points are to be discussed. And first, if a prince or
secular potentate employ such a wizard as we have described for the
destruction of some castle in a just war, and with his help crushes
the tyranny of wicked men; is his whole army to be considered as
protectors and patrons of that wizard, and to be subjected to the
penalties we have mentioned? The answer seems to be that the rigour
of justice must be tempered on account of their numbers. For the
leader, with his counsellors and advisers, must be considered to have
aided and abetted such witchcraft, and they are by law implicated in
the aforesaid penalties when, after being warned by their spiritual
advisers, they have persisted in their bad course; and then they are
to be judged protectors and patrons, and are to be punished. But the
rest of the army, since they have no part in their leaders' council,
but are simply prepared to risk their lives in defence of their
country, although they may view with approval the feats of the
wizard, nevertheless escape the sentence of excommunication; but they
must in their confession acknowledge the guilt of the wizard, and in
their absolution by the confessor must receive a solemn warning to
hold all such practices for ever in detestation, and as far as they
are able drive from their land all such wizards.
It may be asked by whom such princes are to be absolved when
they come to their senses, whether by their own spiritual advisers or
by the Inquisitors? We answer that, if they repent, they may be
absolved either by their spiritual advisers, or by the Inquisitors.
This is provided in the Canon Law concerning the proceedings to be
taken, in the fear of God and as a warning to men, against heretics,
their followers, protectors, patrons and fautors, as also against
those who are accused or suspected of heresy. But if any of the
above, forswearing his former lapse into heresy, wish to return to
the unity of the Church, he may receive the benefit of absolution
provided by Holy Church.
A prince, or
any other, may be said to have returned to his senses when he has
delivered up the wizard to be punished for his offences against the
Creator; when he has banished from his dominions all who have been
found guilty of witchcraft or heresy; when he is truly penitent for
the past; and when, as becomes a Catholic prince, he is firmly
determined in his mind not to show any favour to any other such
wizard.