( tM ) 



ercife it openly, but it is even a particular ftudy 

 with them, to be able to ftudy witchcraft, and to 

 hinder its pernicious effects. There is nothing at 

 bottom in all I have been told on this head but 

 meer quackery fornetimes they extract the venom 

 of ferpents, or make ufe of herbs gathered at cer- 

 tain times, while they are pronouncing certain 

 words, or of animals which are firft ftrangled, 

 and fome parts of which are afterwards thrown 

 into the fire, 



Amongft the Illinois and almoft all the other 

 nations, they make fmall figures to reprefent thofe 

 whofe days they have a mind to morten, and 

 which they ftab to the heart. At other times they 

 take a ftone, and by means of certain invocations, 

 they pretend to form fuch another in the heart of 

 their enemy. I am perfuaded this happens but fel- 

 dom, provided the devil has no fhare in it \ they 

 are, however, in fuch apprehenfion of magicians, 

 that the leait fufoicion of exercifing this profeffion, 

 is fufficient to caufe a perfon to be torn to pieces. 

 !Notwithftandin-g, however, the danger which at- 

 tends the foi owing this trade, there are every- 

 where perfons who have no other. And it is even 

 true, that the mod fenfible and leaf! credulous per- 

 fons, who have frequented the Indians agree, that 

 there is fometimes more than mere conceit in their 

 magick. 



]^ T ow, Madam, is it to be thought, that thefe 

 infidels are the only perfons who have never had 

 any intercourfe with the devil ? And what other 

 m after befides this wicked fpirit, who was a mur- 

 derer from the beginnings could have taught fo ma- 

 ny nations, who have never had any intercourfe 

 one with another, an art, which we cannot hold 



as 



