226 THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF MICHAEL SCOT 



birth or as a legacy from some dying person who 

 has the gift. In either of these cases, when the 

 wizard or witch takes the form of an animal, both 

 body and soul are present wherever the form may 

 appear. If, on the other hand, any one becomes a 

 witch of her own desire, as in the case before us, 

 her spirit may move and act under such a form, 

 but her body lies all the while where she left it. 

 But to our tale.' 



' Michael accordingly took his Magic Book, and 

 the skin of a cat, and kindling some hempen fibre 1 

 in an earthen pot, he commenced to read his 

 spells, which had such effect that the spirit of the 

 young lady entered into the skin of the cat. In the 

 form of that animal she then went about her 

 business, while her body remained still in the chair 

 where she was sitting. At her return the wizard 

 read again in his book, whereupon the spirit of the 

 new-made witch returned to her body as before. 

 Michael gave her a book of this kind, and the skin 

 he had used, and every night she turned herself 

 into a witch, and became so wicked as to cast ill 

 upon many children, and even on an infant brother 

 of her own. 



' Thus the sorceress was hardly entered on her 

 power ere she brought about the death of her 

 rival's child, and killed many others, but an end 

 was presently put to these ill-doings. Her brother, 

 whom she had bewitched out of jealousy, wasted 

 away, and the parents were in despair, as none of 

 the physicians whom they consulted could under- 

 stand the case. One morning the child told them 



1 This is no doubt the benj or bhang of the Arabs and Indians 

 which still furnishes them with a potent narcotic. 



