J 2 On Popular Illuftons. 



gated by Lord Chief Juftice Hale, concerning 

 a convulfive difeafe, attributed to two poor 

 women who were tried before him, " he de- 

 " clared, that he was clearly of opinion, that the 

 " fits were natural, but heightened by the devil, 

 '* co-operating with the malice of the witches, 

 " at whofe inftance he did the villanies." 



In confequence of this opinion, the criminals 

 were condemned. 



Towards the clofe of the laft century. Dr. 

 Boulton, an Englifli phyfician, publilhed his 

 Medicina Magica, which I have never feen. 

 Mean time, the belief in forcery was fo prevalent 

 with the faculty, that a periodical work pub- 

 liflied in Germany, to which the firft phyficians 

 of the time contributed, was filled with hiftories 

 of demoniacs, and diabolical illufions of all 

 forts i I mean, the Mifcellanea Curiofa. 



One or two coge^it examples are there recorded 

 of demoniacal copulation, a fubjed on which 

 faints, and fathers of the church, as well as law- 

 yers and phyficians, have exerted themfelves to 

 accumulate the m9ft difgufting impurities. 



Another periodical collection, of confiderable 

 note, the Ada Hafnienfia, publilhed by the 

 Bartholines, contains a good deal of demonology. 

 One of the correfpondents relates that a country 

 fellow becoming pjejfed, recited a page of the 

 Timseus, to every one's aftonifhment*. Chrif- 



• T. II. • 



topher 



