V WITNESS TO THE MIRACULOUS 169 



over her head. When he began to ask how and when the 

 demon had entered her, she answered, not in the tongue of 

 the barbarians, which alone the girl knew, but in the Roman 

 tongue. And when the priest was astonished and asked how 

 she came to know Latin, when her parents, who stood by, were 

 wholly ignorant of it, "Thou hast never seen my parents," was 

 the reply. To this the priest, " Whence art thou, then, if these 

 are not thy parents ? " And the demon, by the mouth of the 

 girl, " I am a follower and disciple of Satan, and for a long time 

 I was gatekeeper (janitor) in hell ; but, for some years, along 

 with eleven companions, I have ravaged the kingdom of the 

 Franks." (Cap. v. 49. > 



He then goes on to tell how they blasted the 

 crops and scattered pestilence among beasts and 

 men, because of the prevalent wickedness of the 

 people. 1 



The enumeration of all these iniquities, in 

 oratorical style, takes up a whole octavo page ; and 

 at the end it is stated, "All these things the 

 demon spoke in Latin by the mouth of the girl." 



And when the priest imperatively ordered him to come out, 

 " I shall go," said he, "not in obedience to you, but on account 

 of the power of the saints, who do not allow me to remain any 

 longer." And, having said this, he threw the girl down on the 

 floor and there compelled her to lie prostrate for a time, as 

 though she slumbered. After a little while, however, he going 

 away, the girl, by the power of Christ and the merits of the 

 blessed mart}*rs, as it were awaking from sleep, rose up quite 

 well, to the astonishment of all present ; nor after the demon 

 had gone out was she able to speak Latin : so that it was plain 

 enough that it was not she who had spoken in that tongue, but 

 the demon by her mouth. (Cap. v. 51.) 



1 In the Middle Ages one of the most favourite accusations 

 against witches was that they committed just these enormities. 



