CHAPTER XIV

Whether Witches have Power to Make Beasts Talk.
Argument.
At times it happens that God grants the power of speech to that which naturally has no such power, as in the case of Balaam’s ass in Holy Scripture. How this may be, none knows but He who is the author of all speech: but I think that for the most part it is the voice of an Angel speaking in such inanimate objects or brutes. As for brute animals speech is created in their own bodies and is a physical action of the beast itself; yet such action is intellectual only on the part of the Angel. This is true of such animals as have organs adapted to speech, as magpies, parrots, ravens and their like: but when the animal’s organs are not so adapted, as in asses, oxen, etc., I think that the Angel creates a voice from the air about the animal. The same would be true in the case of inanimate objects, such as fire, water, earth, air, or corpses, which likewise could easily be made to appear to speak. Porphyry, considering the question whether magicians can truly under- stand the speech of animals, writes that in his own time it used to be said of Apollonius of Tyana that, having heard a sparrow twittering to a flock of its fellows, he explained to his friends who were with him that the sparrow was telling the others that an ass laden with corn had fallen by
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the city gate, and the corn had been spilled on the ground. In this way Apollonius wished to pretend that he could understand the chattering of birds; but such a thing is incredible. Yet we have daily evidence of the fact that beasts, at any rate those of the same kind, understand each other; and Porphyry tried to prove this. For when a fish has broken from the net it warns the others of the danger, so that no more fish of that sort will be caught that day. Petrus Gregorius* in his De Republica, XV, 5, mentions this matter, prudently adding that animals are incapable of true intelli- gence and conversation.
ae Examples.
Antonius Bonfinius f in his Histories, III, writes that about three years after the defeat of the Emperor Sigis- mund by the Turks at Ternowar, a number of people went to the battle- field and heard a voice from among the bones calling upon the Names of Jesus Christ the Saviour and the Virgin Mary: and a talking head among the corpses, seeing that there were men standing by, said: “Why do you stand so amazed, O men? Iam a Christian who died in this battle unconfessed; but Mary our Mother would not have me condemned to eternal punishment, and has granted me to keep my power of speech till now so that I may confess my sins and purge my soul with holy absolu- tion. I beg you, then, to bring me a priest to hear my confession and give me absolution.” When he was asked how he had earned so great a benefit from the Virgin, he answered that he had been peculiarly devout to
* “Petrus Gregorius.” A famous jurist who in 1570 was appointed to the Chair of Civil Law at the University of Cahors.
+ “Antonius Bonfinius.” “Rerum Ungari- carum Decades Quattuor cum Dimidia.’’ Folio, Basle, 1568.
COMPENDIUM
BK. I. CH. XIV.
Her during his life, and had with great reverence observed Her seven yearly Feasts, fasting religiously on bread and water. Therefore a priest was brought from the next village, who duly heard the confession; and when the head had obtained remission and absolution for all its sins, it at once and for ever fell silent.
The devil, who is the Ape of God, at times performs many false miracles of a similar nature, which God permits in His own avenging justice. Phlegon of Tralles says that Polycritus married a Locrian woman and, after having slept with her for three nights, died on the third day, leaving her pregnant. The woman gave birth to an herma- phrodite monster, which was brought before a council of the people to decide what it portended and what should be done about it: and then the ghost of Polycritus appeared in the midst of the people and foretold a massacre of the Locrians and Aetolians ; and with the people power- less to interfere he took off the head of his monstrous son and devoured him and vanished ; and afterwards the head also spoke of the same massacre.
The same author quotes the follow- ing from Antisthenes the Peripatetic Philosopher. When the Consul Acilius Glabro conquered Antiochus, King of Asia, the Romans were frightened by oracles from invading Asia any further. And the Roman General, Publius, moved as it is thought with a divine madness, foretold that he would be devoured by a wolf, which would leave his head: and this head made a long speech foreshowing the coming defeat of the Romans.
With the help of a demon a witch can easily vitiate a man’s organs so that, while trying to speak, he barks or howls or clucks or neighs; for we have known many such cases. We read that in 1546 Margarita of Essling had pains in her belly, and that it swelled to such a size as com- pletely to hide her face, being more than ten palms in circumference.
BK. I. CH. XV.
Those who stood about her bed heard the crowing of cocks, the clucking of hens, the braying of asses, the barking of dogs, the bleating of sheep, the grunting of pigs, the lowing of oxen and the neighing of horses. Then she voided from her side about a hundred and fifty worms and serpents. This was believed to be a miracle; but it was in truth only a devil’s illusion created by the girl’s mother for the sake of gain.
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