259 [=261]

[259]

[Lett. lxix. Letters Historical and Galant.]

of my self, and if you be afraid you are lost!" All this did not astonish me; but my courage disconcerted her, and
tho I earnestly desired it, she would never attempt the thing. This fully confinced me of her imposture, and I saw by that the
greatest fools think themselves cunning enough to deceive notwithstanding.

When I had finished this Story, a Lady of Condition and merit that was of my opinion told us that her father
passing one day through a town in Switserland, at a time when they were carrying a young woman to Execution, and learning
that she was to be burn'd as arraigned and Convicted of being a Witch, he begg'd the Judges to defer the Execution till the
next day, and to trust the Criminal with him till that time. As he was considered in the Country they durst not refuse his
request, the Witch was put under a Guard and conducted to his Lodging; as soon as the Croud had retired, he took
the unhappy wretch with him in private, and said; "My child, you may judge of my credit from what you see I have
done just now, and think that since I have been able to defer you death, I may well, now you are in my power, find means
to save your Life; this I promis you to do, on condition you carry me this night to your nocturnal meeting, and give
me certain proofs of your being a Witch; If you refuse, I shall return you to morrow into the hands of those I took you from
today. "Alas, Sir, said she, tis but too plain that I am a witch, since I am to suffer death for it. And I would gladly
carry you to our meeting, if you can contrive to let me speak with my Aunt, without her being suspected, for tis she that
has the Drug I want for the journey." He immediately dispatch'd a man he could depend on to this Aunt, who came with
a little pot of Ointment. "This, says the Girl, is all the Mystery! You'll see what I am going to do, do you the same,
and you shall go with me. Upon this she anointed all her Joints, her temples, and under her nose with this Oyntment, and
a moment after fell down as dead. This dead sleep lasted all night almost, after which she woke, weak and in a sweat,
and told a hundred presented Extravagances of her pretended meeting, where twas very certain she had not been, since he had kept
her always in his sight. The Oyntment was found to be Opium; and all agreed, that this forced sleep, aided by the
strength of her Imagination, produced Reveries that persuaded her she was a Witch. The Judges were obliged to return
to Judgement to revoke the Arret they had too lightly given. The poor Creature was put out of the hands of Justice
into those of the Physicians, to Endeavour to reestablish her Brain.: So the adventure turned out tragicomical. "And
"I am persuaded, added the lady that told it, that all those of this nature would end the same way, if people would
"constantly take the trouble to sound them to the bottom.

"I once believed as you do, replyed then a lady of the Contrary party, and look'd upon the little book of Bel-
"phegor or the Married Devil to be fabulous; but at present I find nothing incredible in this History, and am per
"suaded that there are Genii good and bad, who with views conformable to their Inclination, Assume human forms
"and appear sometimes in this inferior world, to help or harm Mankind. The Demon of Socrates was of this species
"and of the former Order I mentioned. All Antiquity, assures us there have been bad Genii, witness that of
"Brutus; and what I have seen my self, does not let me doubt of this truth. All the Company begg'd this lady to be
so good as to give her self the trouble to tell us what she knew upon it, which should be without doubt of some force because she
talk'd of it so positively. "Yes, said she, I assure you, tis of great strength, since it has deprived me of the Incredulity I for
merly had about those Spirits they call Familiars.!"

"Know then, continued she, that in a Republick which tis not necessary to name, there appeared some years
ago a figure of a man of a very extraordinary Air and Wit, having a fire in his Eyes and manners that had more of Ill con
"duct than Vivacity; wearing a large Tye wig the two legs of which instead of hanging behind were fixed before; and
"a furred skin Coat; He said he was a man of Quality, bore the title of Baron, and pretended he had travelled all
"parts of the World, and always with a Character of Distinction. he made himself publick by a hundred Gasconades;
"and the World fond of Novelty was curious to see this walking map, who gave himself remarkable Airs of all the Coun
"tries he said he had seen, and related the manners and dispositions of the Inhabitants, and conformable to the Proverb, he may
"lye that comes from far, imposed terribly upon his credulous Auditors stunning them with his Continual Clack.
"In the mean time, as he was sent to do Mischief, he took care to fulfil his Commission, and insinuating himself cunningly
"into houses, did what he could to raise differences in families, taking advantages of the Weakness of their Intellects
"and suiting himself to them. If a Mother rattled her daughter, he would take occasion to give her pernicious advice:
"He Exasperated people one against another by publishing calumnies he pretended others were the Authors of; and at
"last taking every one by his foible, he endeavored to shake the faith of those whose Morals he was not able to per
"vert, and employed all the Volubility of his tongue to persuade them to Atheism, Every body ask'd, whence is this
"Man! Whence came he? and no body could give an account, for he was like one that droppd from the Clouds,
"As the Country he appeared in was in War with France, they thought sometimes he was a Spy; but he endeavoured to