Malleus Maleficarum

Heinrich Kramer

First published in 1486. This translation by Montague Summers was published in 1928.

This online edition was created and published by Global Grey on the 28th October 2021.

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Table of Contents

Introduction To The Malleus Maleficarum

PART 1

Question 1. Whether the Belief that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy

Question 2. If it be in Accordance with the Catholic Faith to maintain that in Order to bring about some Effect of Magic, the Devil must intimately co-operate with the Witch, or whether one without the other, that is to say, the Devil without the Witch, or conversely, could produce such an Effect

Question 3. Whether Children can be Generated by Incubi and Succubi

Question 4. By which Devils are the Operations of Incubus and Succubus Practised?

Question 5. What is the Source of the Increase of Works of Witchcraft? Whence comes it that the Practice of Witchcraft hath so notably increased?

Question 6. Concerning Witches who copulate with Devils. Why is it that Women are chiefly addicted to Evil superstitions?

Question 7. Whether Witches can Sway the Minds of Men to Love or Hatred

Question 8. Whether Witches can Hebetate the Powers of Generation or Obstruct the Venereal Act

Question 9. Whether Witches may work some Prestidigatory Illusion so that the Male Organ appears to be entirely removed and separate from the Body

Question 10. Whether Witches can by some Glamour Change Men into Beasts

Question 11. That Witches who are Midwives in Various Ways Kill the Child Conceived in the Womb, and Procure an Abortion; or if they do not this Offer New-born Children to Devils

Question 12. Whether the Permission of Almighty God is an Accompaniment of Witchcraft

Question 13. Herein is set forth the Question, concerning the Two Divine Permissions which God justly allows, namely, that the Devil, the Author or all Evil, should Sin, and that our First Parents should Fall, from which Origins the Works of Witches are justly suffered to take place

Question 14. The Enormity of Witches is Considered, and it is shown that the Whole Matter should be rightly Set Forth and Declared

Question 15. It is Shown that, on Account of the Sins of Witches, the Innocent are often Bewitched, yea, Sometimes even for their Own Sins

Question 16. The Foregoing Truths are Set out in Particular, this by a Comparison of the Works of Witches with Other Baleful Superstitions

Question 17. A Comparison of their Crimes under Fourteen Heads, with the Sins of the Devils of all and every Kind

Question 18. Here follows the Method of Preaching against and Controverting Five Arguments of Laymen and Lewd Folk, which seem to be Variously Approved, that God does not Allow so Great Power to the Devil and Witches as is involved in the Performance of such Mighty Works of Witchcraft

PART 2

Question 1. Of Those Against Whom The Power Of Witches Availeth Not At All

Chapter 1. Of the several Methods by which Devils through Witches Entice and Allure the Innocent to the Increase of that Horrid Craft and Company

Chapter 2. Of The Way Whereby A Formal Pact With Evil Is Made

Chapter 3. How They Are Transported From Place To Place

Chapter 4. Here follows the Way whereby Witches copulate with those Devils known as Incubi

Chapter 5. Witches commonly perform their Spells through the Sacraments of the Church. And how they Impair the Powers of Generation, and how they may Cause other Ills to happen to God's Creatures of all kinds. But herein we except the Question of the Influence of the Stars

Chapter 6. How Witches Impede And Prevent The Power Of Procreation

Chapter 7. How, As It Were, They Deprive Man Of His Virile Member

Chapter 8. Of The Manner Whereby They Change Men Into The Shapes Of Beasts

Chapter 9. How Devils may enter the Human Body and the Head without doing any Hurt, when they cause such Metamorphosis by Means of Prestidigitation

Chapter 10. Of the Method by which Devils through the Operations of Witches sometimes actually possess men

Chapter 11. Of the Method by which they can Inflict Every Sort of Infirmity, generally Ills of the Graver Kind

Chapter 12. Of the Way how in Particular they Afflict Men with Other Like Infirmities

Chapter 13. How Witch Midwives commit most Horrid Crimes when they either Kill Children or Offer them to Devils in most Accursed Wise

Chapter 14. Here followeth how Witches Injure Cattle in Various Ways

Chapter 15. How they Raise and Stir up Hailstorms and Tempests, and Cause Lightning to Blast both Men and Beasts

Chapter 16. Of Three Ways in which Men and Women may be Discovered to be Addicted to Witchcraft: Divided into Three Heads: and First of the Witchcraft of Archers

Question 2. Introduction, Wherein Is Set Forth The Difficulty Of This Question

Chapter 1. The Remedies prescribed by the Holy Church against Incubus and Succubus Devils

Chapter 2. Remedies prescribed for Those who are Bewitched by the Limitation of the Generative Power

Chapter 3. Remedies prescribed for those who are Bewitched by being Inflamed with Inordinate Love or Extraordinary Hatred

Chapter 4. Remedies prescribed for those who by Prestidigitative Art have lost their Virile Members or have seemingly been Transformed into the Shapes of Beasts

Chapter 5. Prescribed Remedies For Those Who Are Obsessed Owing To Some Spell

Chapter 6. Prescribed Remedies; to wit, the Lawful Exorcisms of the Church, for all Sorts of Infirmities and Ills due to Witchcraft; and the Method of Exorcising those who are Bewitched

Chapter 7. Remedies prescribed against Hailstorms, and for animals that are Bewitched

Chapter 8. Certain Remedies prescribed against those Dark and Horrid Harms with which Devils may Afflict Men

PART 3

General And Introductory

Question 1. The Method Of Initiating A Process

Question 2. Of The Number Of Witnesses

Question 3. Of The Solemn Adjuration And Re-Examination Of Witnesses

Question 4. Of The Quality And Condition Of Witnesses

Question 5. Whether Mortal Enemies May Be Admitted As Witnesses

Question 6. How the Trial is to be Proceeded with and Continued. And how the Witnesses are to be Examined in the Presence of Four Other Persons, and how the Accused is to be Questioned in Two Way

Question 7. In Which Various Doubts are Set Forth with Regard to the Foregoing Questions and Negative Answers. Whether the Accused is to be Imprisoned, and when she is to be considered Manifestly Taken in the Foul Heresy of Witchcraft. This is the Second Action

Question 8. Which Follows from the Preceding Question, Whether the Witch is to be Imprisoned, and of the Method of Taking her. This is the Third Action of the Judge

Question 9. What is to be done after the Arrest, and whether the Names of the Witnesses should be made Known to the Accused. This is the Fourth Action

Question 10. What Kind of Defence may be Allowed, and of the Appointment of an Advocate. This is the Fifth Action

Question 11. What Course the Advocate should Adopt when the Names of the Witnesses are not Revealed to him. The Sixth Action

Question 12. Of the Same Matter, Declaring more Particularly how the Question of Personal Enmity is to be Investigated. The Seventh Action

Question 13. Of the Points to be Observed by the Judge before the Formal Examination in the Place of Detention and Torture. This is the Eighth Action

Question 14. Of the Method of Sentencing the Accused to be Questioned: and How she must be Questioned on the First Day; and Whether she may be Promised her Life. The Ninth Action

Question 15. Of the Continuing of the Torture, and of the Devices and Signs by which the Judge can Recognize a Witch; and how he ought to Protect himself from their Spells. Also how they are to be Shaved in Parts where they use to Conceal the Devil's Masks and Tokens; together with the due Setting Forth of Various Means of Overcoming the Obstinacy in Keeping Silence and Refusal to Confess. And it is the Tenth Action

Question 16. Of the fit Time and of the Method of the Second Examination. And it is the Eleventh Action, concerning the Final Precautions to be Observed by the Judge

The Third Head. Which is the last Part of this Work. How the Process is to be Concluded by the Pronouncement of a Definite and Just Sentence

Question 17. Of Common Purgation, and especially of the Trial of Red-hot Iron, to which Witches Appeal

Question 18. Of the Manner of Pronouncing a Sentence which is Final and Definitive

Question 19. Of the Various Degrees of Overt Suspicion which render the Accused liable to be Sentenced

Question 20. Of the Firth Method of Pronouncing Sentence

Question 21. Of the Second Method of Pronouncing Sentence, when the Accused is no more than Defamed

Question 22. Of the Third Kind of Sentence, to be Pronounced on one who is Defamed, and who is to be put to the Question

Question 23. The Fourth Method of Sentencing, in the Case of one Accused upon a Light Suspicion

Question 24. The Fifth Manner of Sentence, in the Case of one under Strong Suspicion

Question 25. The Sixth Kind of Sentence, in the Case of one who is Gravely Suspect

Question 26. The Method of passing Sentence upon one who is both Suspect and Defamed

Question 27. The Method of passing Sentence upon one who hath Confessed to Heresy, but is still not Penitent

Question 28. The Method of passing Sentence upon one who hath Confessed to Heresy but is Relapsed, Albeit now Penitent

Question 29. The Method of passing Sentence upon one who hath Confessed to Heresy but is Impenitent, although not Relapsed

Question 30. Of One who has Confessed to Heresy, is Relapsed, and is also Impenitent

Question 31. Of One Taken And Convicted, But Denying Everything

Question 32. Of One who is Convicted but who hath Fled or who Contumaciously Absents himself

Question 33. Of the Method of passing Sentence upon one who has been Accused by another Witch, who has been or is to be Burned at the Stake

Question 34. Of the Method of passing Sentence upon a Witch who Annuls Spells wrought by Witchcraft; and of Witch Midwives and Archer-Wizards

Question 35. Finally, of the Method of passing Sentence upon Witches who Enter or Cause to be Entered an Appeal, whether such be Frivolous or Legitimate and Just

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