The second Chapter. 93.
Absurd reasons brought by Bodin, and such others, for confirmation of transformations.
THESE examples and reasons might put us in doubt, that everie asse, woolfe, or cat that we see, were a man, a woman, or a child. I marvell that no man useth this distinction in the definition of a man. But to what end should one dispute against these creations, and recreations; when Bodin washeth away all our arguments with one word, confessing that none can create any thing but God; acknowledging also the force of the canons, and imbracing the opinions of such divines, as write against him in this behalfe? Yea he dooth now (contrarie to himselfe elsewhere) affirme, that the divell cannot alter his forme. And lo, this is his distinction,J. Bod. lib. 2. de mag. dæmon. cap. 6. Non essentialis forma (id est ratio) sed figura solùm permutatur: The essentiall forme (to wit, reason) is not changed, but the shape or figure. And thereby he prooveth it easie enough to create men or beasts with life, so as they remaine without reason. Howbeit, I thinke it is an easier matter, to turne Bodins reason into the reason of an asse, than his bodie into the shape of a sheepe: which he saith is an easie matter;Gen. 19, 24. & 26. & 27. bicause Lots/72. wife was turned into a stone by the divell. Whereby he sheweth his grosse ignorance. As though God that commanded Lot upon paine of death not to looke backe, who also destroied the citie of Sodome at that instant, had not also turned hir into a salt stone. And as though all this while God had beene the divels drudge, to go about this businesse all the night before, and when a miracle should be wrought, the divell must be faine to doo it himselfe.
Item,J. Bod. lib. de dæmon. 2. cap. 20.
M. Mal. pa. 1. quæ. 9. he affirmeth, that these kind of transfigurations are more common with them in the west parts of the world, than with us here in the east. Howbeit, this note is given withall; that that is ment of the second persons, and not of the first: to wit, of the bewitched, and not of the witches. For they can trans/forme94. themselves in everie part of the world, whether it be east, west, north, or south.John. Bodin. lib. de dæmon. 2. cap. 1. Marrie he saith, that spirits and divels vex men most in the north countries, as Norway, Finland, &c: and in the westerne ilands, as in the west India: but among the heathen speciallie, and wheresoever Christ is not preached. And that is true, though not in so foolish, grosse, and corporall a sense as Bodin taketh it. One notable instance of a witches cunning in this behalfe touched by Bodin in the chapter aforesaid, I thought good in this place to repeat: he taketh it out of M. Mal.Mal. malefic. par. 2. quæ. 2. cap. 4. which tale was delivered to Sprenger by a knight of the Rhods, being of the order of S. Jones at Jerusalem; and it followeth thus.