interdum eorum temeritas damnata et damnanda progreditur, ut fictis
metallis cudant publicae monetae characteres fidis oculis, et non
alias Alchimicum fornacis ignem vulgum ignorantem eludant. Haec
itaque perpetuis volentes exulare temporibus, hac edictali
constitutione sancimus, ut quicumque hujusmodi aurum vel argentum
fecerint, vel fieri secuto facto mandaverint, vel ad hoc scienter
(dum id fieret) facientibus ministraverint, aut scienter vel auro
vel argento usi fuerint vendendo vel dando in solutum: [illegible
letter or or mark] verum tanti ponderis aurum vel argentum poenae
nomine inferre cogantur in publicum pauperibus erogandum, quanti
Alchimicum existat; circa quod eos aliquo praedictorum modorum
legitime constiterit deliquisse: facientibus nihilominus aurum vel
argentum Alchimicum aut ipso, praemittitur, scienter utentibus
perpetuae, infamiae nota respersis. Quod si ad praefatam poenam
pecuniarum exsolvendam deliquentium ipsorum facultates non
sufficiant, poterit discreti moderatio judicis poenam hanc in aliam
(puta carceris, vel alteram juxta qualitatem negotii personarum
differentiam aliasque attendendo circumstantias) commutare. Illos
vero qui in tantae ignorantiam infelicitatis proruperint, ut nedum
nummos vedunt, sed naturalis juris praacepta contemnant, artis
excedant metas, legumque violant interdieta scienter videlicet
adulterinam ex auro et argento Alchimico cudendo seu fundendo, cudi
seu fundi faciendo monetam; hac animadversione percelli jubemus, ut
ipsorum bona deserantur carceri, ipsique perpetuo sint infames. Et
si clerici fuerint delinquentes, ipsi ultra praedictas poenas
priventur beneficiis habitis et prorsus reddantur inhabiles ad
habenda.

III.

Bull of Pope John XXII. forbidding certain magical practices, which,
like the prohibition of alchemies, protected his flock from {415}
sharpers of various kinds, sooth-sayers, pretended sorcerers,
magicians, _et id genus omne_. This is the bull which Pres. White
quotes under its Latin title, _Super illius specula_, as if he had it
under his eye at the moment of writing, and which he says "shows Pope
John himself, in spite of his infallibility, sunk in superstition the
most abject and debasing; for in this bull, supposed to be inspired
from wisdom from on high, Pope John complains that both he and his
flock are in danger of their lives by the arts of the sorcerers. He
(the Pope) declares that su