unlearn, and clear our minds of, some false notions, even when we are
advancing to old age? Nor will this be deemed indeed a matter of
little importance by him, who considers the serious evils, into which
mankind are often led, by things that to some may appear trifling, as
being nothing more than bugbears of children and women. My soul is
seized with horror on recollecting, how many millions of innocent
persons have been condemned to the flames in various nations, since
the birth of Christ, upon the bare suspicion of witchcraft: while the
very judges were perhaps either blinded by vain prejudices, or dreaded
the incensed populace, if they acquitted those, whom the mob had
previously adjudged guilty. Who would believe that any man in his
right senses could boast, as a matter of merit, that he had capitally
condemned about nine hundred persons for witchcraft, in the space of
fifteen years, in the sole dutchy of _Lorraine_?[31] And yet from many
histories, which he relates of those who suffered, it manifestly
appears, that every individual of these criminals, had no compacts
with devils, as they themselves imagined, but were really mad, so as
openly to confess that they had done such feats as are impossible in
the nature of things. But so it happens, that error generally begets
superstition, and superstition cruelty. Wherefore I most heartily
rejoice, that I have lived to see all our laws relating to witchcraft
entirely abolished: whereas foreign states still retain this barbarous
cruelty, and with various degrees of obstinacy in proportion to their
ignorance of natural causes. And it is but too true, that the doctrine
of daemons is so understood by the vulgar, as if the devil was to be
esteemed a sort of deity; or at least, that, laying the fear of him
aside, no divine worship can well subsist; altho' the apostle has
expresly said; _For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that
he might destroy the works of the devil_.[32]

[31] See _Nic. Remigii Daemonolatreia_.

[32] _John. Ep. i. Chap. iii. ver. 8._

And here it may not be improper, once for all, to inform the reader,
that I have generally made use of _Sebastian Castalio_'s version of
the bible, because, upon collating it in many places, I found it to be
not only excellent Latin, but also very accurate, and particularly
well adapted to the sense and meaning of the words in the Hebrew and
Greek.

Nor can I refrain from declaring, that I have not wr