but only that the Hebrews and Egyptians--I mean the common people
among them--believe that there were people who had intercourse with
the Divinity, or with good and bad angels, to predict the future,
explain dreams, devote their enemies to the direst misfortunes, cause
maladies, raise storms, and call forth the souls of the dead; if there
was any reality in all this, it was not in the things themselves, but
in their imaginations and prepossessions.

Moses and Joseph were regarded by the Egyptians as great magicians.
Rachel, it appears, believed that the teraphim of her father Laban
were capable of giving her information concerning things hidden and to
come. The Israelites might consult the idol of Micha, and Beelzebub
the god of Ekron; but the sensible and enlightened people of those
days, like similar persons in our own, considered all this as the
sport and knavery of pretended magicians, who derived much emolument
from maintaining these prejudices among the people.

Moses most wisely ordained the penalty of death against those persons
who abused the simplicity of the ignorant to enrich themselves at
their expense, and turned away the people from the worship of the true
God, in order to keep up among them such practices as were
superstitious and contrary to true religion.

Besides, it was necessary to good order, the interests of the
commonwealth and of true piety, to repress those abuses which are in
opposition to them, and to punish with extreme severity those who draw
away the people from the true and legitimate worship due to God, lead
them to worship the devil, and place their confidence in the creature,
in prejudice to the right of the Creator; inspiring them with vain
terrors where there is nothing to fear, and maintaining their minds in
the most dangerous errors. If, amongst an infinite number of false
predictions, or vain interpretations of dreams, some of them are
fulfilled, either this is occasioned by chance or it is the work of
the devil, who is often permitted by God to deceive those whose
foolishness and impiety lead them to address themselves to him and
place their confidence in him, all which the wise lawgiver, animated
by the Divine Spirit, justly repressed by the most rigorous
punishment.

All histories and experience on this subject demonstrate that those
who make use of the art of magic, charms, and spells, only employ
their art, their secret, and their power to corrupt and mislead; for
crime