Superst. H

Ch. 88. The masters and their like do also practise the art in a common looking-glass, letting children look thereinto, whom in like manner they strongly beswear and whisper hidden words unto, and think to search out many things therein. That is all an 'unbelief' and the devil's jugglery and trickery. Beware, O christian, I warn thee right faithfully. The same thing they do in a beautiful bright polished sword, the masters thinking that some one may haply ask about wars and such deadly matters; then, if the sword be one that hath killed many men, the spirits shall come all the sooner and quicker. If one will ask of pleasure and peace, find out arts or dig up treasure, then shall the sword be clean and maiden (unvermailigt, unwedded, i.e. unfleshed). I know a great prince: whoso bringeth him an old worn-out sword (haher swert), hath done him much honour.

Ch. 90-1. In Pyromancia are many more 'unbeliefs,' esp. one that is thought to be infallible, and is the vilest and worst, for the more firmly men believe in such sorcery, the more is it sin. The thing to be done is, that boys shall see in a crystal things to come and all things. It is done by false castaway christians, to whom dearer is the devil's delusion than the truth of God. Some have an exceeding clear and fair-polished crystal or parille (beryl ? pearl ?), they have it consecrated and keep it very clean, and gather for it frankincense, myrrh and the like; and when they will exercise their art, they wait for a very fine day, or have a clean chamber and many consecrated candles therein. The masters then go to bathe, taking the pure child with them, and clothe themselves in pure white raiment, and sit down, and say their magic prayers, and burn their magic offerings, and then let the boy look into the stone, and whisper in his ear hidden words, which they say are mighty holy, in truth the words are devilish. After that they ask the boy whether he sees aught of an angel. If the boy answers yea, they ask what colour he is of? and if he say red, the masters declare that the angel is angry, and again they pray, and sacrifice to the devil again, and thereat is he well pleased. Then if the boy say the angel is black, the master saith the angel is exceeding wroth, we must pray yet again, and burn more lights; and they pray once more, and sacrifice with incense and other things ........ And when the devil thinks he hath had service enough, he makes appear the angel in white. Then is the master glad, and asks the boy, what hath the angel in his hand? and ceaseth not to ask till he says 'I see a writing in the angel's hand.' Then he asketh on, until he see letters: these letters the master collects, and thereof maketh words, until he has that which he desired to know.

Ch. 94. It hath chanced doubtless, that certain priests were so captivated by these visions, that they took the sacred patenas, whereon at Mass the elements are changed into God, and have made the children look into them, believing that holy angels alone could appear therein, and no devils. These have mightily mistook, etc.

Ch. 96. Another trick of sorcery that is set down to Pyromancia.......... The masters take and melt lead or tin, then pour it into a water, and soon take it out again, and beswear the colour and little pits of the lead or tin, and declare things past or future thereby, which is all an 'unbelief.'

Ch. 102. Know besides, that men do also look at fingers, whether the little finger reach beyond the last joint of the ring-finger. They say that is a sign of great luck; but if the little finger be even with the said joint, the man shall be unfortunate. Heed it not, good christian, it is a trifle.

Ch. 103. There is a folk strolleth about much in the world, named Zygainer (gipsies): this people, both man and wife, young and old, greatly practise the art, and mislead many of the simple, etc.

Ch. 106-7-8. Of a fortune-teller whom Dr. Hartlieb knew, and who gave out that the art had been in her family for ages, and at her death the grace would descend to her eldest (daughter). The woman is well looked upon, and bidden to people's houses. I asked her to impart her cunning unto me. She was willing, bade me wash my hands, and dried them with her own, and bent her face very close to my hands, and told me things that cannot possibly happen to me.

Ch. 115-6. Spatulamancia is of the seven forbidden arts one, and is done by a cunning outlandish artifice. When I consider all the arts, I find no other 'unbelief' that hath so little ground, indeed I think it to be a mockery. ......... The masters of this art take a shoulder of a dead ox or horse, cow or ass; they have said when I asked them, that next to a man's shoulder, which is best, any great animal's shoulder is good. They wash well the shoulder with wine, and thereafter with holy water; they tie it up in a clean cloth, and when they will practise the art, they untie it, and carry it to a place outside of roof, then gaze into the shoulder, and think it changes after every question. They have neither lights nor sacrifice, yet it is a great 'unbelief' to wash the shoulder with holy water, and to think the shoulder changes for their questions. Their faith is so great that they ask for no reasons of the art: they speak out of their own head whatsoever comes into it, to solve and settle the questions .......... They think they can search out all things.

Ch. 120. The masters of this art have also lavg (MGH. louc, flame? or lauge, lye?) and observe what colours the shoulder has at the ends, in the middle and in all the parts; and according to these the devil suggests to them what to believe and say.

Ch. 121. First I will write of the goose-bone (genns-pain). On St Martin's day or night, when they have eaten the goose, the eldest and the wise do keep the breast-bone, and let it dry till the morning, and then examine it in every particular, before and behind and in the middle. Thereby they judge of the winter, if it shall be cold, warm, wet or dry, and are so firm in their faith, that they wager their goods and chattels thereon. And thereon have they an especial 'loss' (lot-drawing) that shall not and cannot fail, to tell whether the snow shall be much or little; all this knoweth the goose-bone. Aforetime the old peasants in desert places dealt in this matter, now is the 'unbelief' grown in kings, princes, and all the nobility, who believe in such things.

Pag. 76b. 77a. Moreover I will write thee a thing that lately a great victorious captain told me, in whom prince and peasant put great confidence, one for his deeds, another for his wisdom, a third for his faith that he had kept alway in every need to his own prince. This good man on St Nicolas day in this year 1455 said to me, 'Dear master, how shall the winter be this year, as ye star-gazers opine?' I was quick and quick (hasty?) as I still am, and spake, 'Lord Saturn goes this month into a fiery sign, likewise other stars are so disposed, that in 3 years no harder winter shall have been.' This dauntless man, this christian captain drew forth of his doublet that heretical 'unbelief,' the goose-bone, and showed me that after Candlemas an exceeding great frost should be, and could not fail. What I had said he said yet more, and told me that the Teutonic Knights in Prussia had waged all their ware by the goose-bone, and as the goose-bone showed so did they order their two campaigns, one in summer and one in winter. And furthermore he spake these words, 'While the Teutonic Order obeyed the bone, so long had they great worship and honour, but since they have left it off, Lord knows how it stands with them.' I said, 'Had the T. O. no other art, help or stay than the goose-bone, then should their confidence be small.' With that I parted from my rich host.

Pag. 76a. This know the physicians well, and say that the disease named bolismus(boulimoj) or apetitus caninus can by no eating or drinking be stilled, but by medicine alone; for all food passeth undigested through the body, whereby the flesh falls away, but the bones remain great as ever; and this makes the child so unshapely, that men call it a changeling (wächsel-kind). (4)


Notes:
4. At the end of pag. 78b stands the name of the copyist: 'Clara Hätzlerin.' In the same handwriting is Cod. Pal. 677. [Back]