On Popular Illufwm. -69 



anoint themfelves with foporific compofitions, 

 after which they fell into profound fleep, and 

 on awaking feveral hours afterwards, they have 

 related their journey through the air, their 

 amufement at the feftival, and have named the 

 perfons whom they faw there. In the inflance 

 told by Hoffman, the dreamer was chained to 

 the floor. Common fenfe would reft fatisfied 

 here, but the enthufiafm of demonology has in- 

 vented more than one theory to get rid of thefe un- 

 toward fafls. Dr. Henry More, as was formerly 

 mentioned, believed that the aftral fpirit only 

 was carried away : other demonologifts imagined 

 that the witch was really removed to the place 

 of meeting, but that a cacodemon was left in 

 her room, as an muuvy to delude the fpeclators. 

 Thirdly, fome ftories of the feftivals are evi- 

 dently tricks. Such is that related by Bodinus, 

 with much gravity : a man is found in a Gentle- 

 man's cellar, and apprehended as a tiiiefi he 

 declares his wife had brought him thither to 

 a witch-meecing, and on his pronouncing the 

 name of God, {he and all her companions had 

 vanilhed, and left him inclofed. His wife is 

 immediately feized, on this righteous evidence, 

 and hanged, with feveral other perfons, named 

 as prefent at the meeting. 



4. It may ftill farther confirm the preceding 



obfervations, if we remark that the fuccefs of 



F 3 all 



