1 68 TJu Book of Cats. 



belief in this demoniacal power, and had asserted 

 their possession of it. In 1485, forty-one poor 

 women were burnt as witches in Germany ; an 

 inquisitor in Piedmont burnt a hundred more, 

 and was proceeding so fast with others daily, that 

 the people rose en masse, and chased him out of 

 the country. About the same time, five hundred 

 witches were executed at Geneva, in the course of 

 three months. 



Among the many who counterfeited possession 

 by the devil, for the purpose of attracting pity or 

 obtaining money, were Agnes Bridges and Rachel 

 Finder, who had counterfeited to be possessed by 

 the devil, and vomited pins and rags ; but were 

 detected, and stood before the preacher at St. Paul's 

 Cross, and acknowledged their hypocritical coun- 

 terfeiting : this happened in 1574. 



In fifteen years, from 1580 to 1595, Remigius 

 burnt nine hundred reputed witches in Lorraine. 

 In Germany, they tortured and burnt them daily, 

 until many unfortunates destroyed themselves for 

 fear of a death by torment, and others fled the 

 country. 



Ludovicus Paramo states, that the Inquisition, 

 within the space of 150 years, had burnt thirty 

 thousand of these reputed witches. 



