The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology

«or, as I propose to call it, the Dianic cult» — el nombre es suyo y lo declara como propuesta, no como hallazgo: es ella quien decide llamar así a la brujería ritual.

«It can be traced back to pre-Christian times, and appears to be the ancient religion of Western Europe» — la tesis de la supervivencia, con su *appears to be* puesto por ella.

«The evidence proves that underlying the Christian religion was a cult practised by many classes of the community, chiefly, however, by the more ignorant or those in the less thickly inhabited parts of the country» — y aquí no hedgea: *the evidence proves*.

«The continuity of the ancient religion is proved by the references to it in the classical authors, the ecclesiastical laws, and other legal and historical records» — de qué toma la prueba: autores clásicos, leyes eclesiásticas y registros legales e históricos.

«have confined myself to an intensive study of the cult in Great Britain» — el alcance que se impone, frente a la masa de material europeo que declara no haber intentado abarcar.

«their god was identified by the conquerors with the Principle of Evil» — el mecanismo con que explica la demonización: no es que el culto adorara al diablo, es que los vencedores identificaron a su dios con el Mal.

«It is now a commonplace of anthropology that the tales of fairies and elves preserve the tradition of a dwarf race which once inhabited Northern and Western Europe» — la hipótesis de la raza enana tras las hadas, que atribuye al estado de la antropología de su tiempo y no a sí misma.

«at present it is little more than speculation that the two are identical, but there is promise that the theory may be proved at some later date when the subject is more fully worked out» — y su reserva sobre esa misma hipótesis: que brujas y hadas sean lo mismo es, dice, poco más que especulación.

«the chief woman was often identified with the Queen of Faerie, or the Elfin Queen» — la figura femenina principal del culto, en esa serie.

«the persistence of the number thirteen in the Covens, the narrow geographical range of the domestic familiar» — el aquelarre de trece aparece en una lista de detalles que, según ella, no pueden despacharse.

«there still remains a mass of details which cannot be explained away» — su argumento de método frente a la objeción de la tortura: concede que parte del testimonio se obtuvo bajo tormento y con preguntas capciosas, y sostiene que aun así queda un resto.

«The witches are organized like Congregational Churches» — su modelo de la organización: congregacional, no jerárquica.

«In order, however, to obtain a clearer understanding of the ritual and beliefs I have had recourse to French and Flemish sources, as the cult appears to have been the same throughout Western Europe.» — el supuesto que autoriza su método comparado: estudia Gran Bretaña, pero completa el ritual con material francés y flamenco porque da por parecido —*appears*— que el culto fuera uno solo en toda Europa occidental. De ese supuesto depende que un testimonio de las Basses-Pyrénées valga para explicar un proceso escocés.

«On the one hand are the writers who, having heard the evidence at first hand, believe implicitly in the facts and place upon them the unwarranted construction that those facts were due to supernatural power; on the other hand are the writers who, taking the evidence on hearsay and disbelieving the conclusions drawn by their opponents, deny the facts in toto.» — el diagnóstico con que abre: la literatura sobre brujería se le reparte entre quienes oyeron el testimonio de primera mano y lo explicaron por poder sobrenatural, y quienes lo negaron entero sin haberlo oído. Su lugar se define contra los dos.

«Both parties believed with equal firmness in a personal Devil, and both supported their arguments with quotations from the Bible.» — lo que a su juicio comparten los dos bandos y les impide ver el material: creyentes y escépticos discutían dentro del mismo marco teológico y con las mismas armas.

«Among the believers in witchcraft everything which could not be explained by the knowledge at their disposal was laid to the credit of supernatural powers; and as everything incomprehensible is usually supposed to emanate from evil, the witches were believed to be possessed of devilish arts.» — cómo se fabrica, según ella, la atribución diabólica: lo inexplicable se acredita a lo sobrenatural, y lo sobrenatural incomprensible se acredita al mal.

«As also every non-Christian God was, in the eyes of the Christian, the opponent of the Christian God, the witches were considered to worship the Enemy of Salvation, in other words, the Devil.» — el segundo paso del mismo mecanismo: cualquier dios no cristiano queda convertido en el Enemigo, y quien lo adora, en adorador del Diablo. Es la pieza de la que cuelga toda su lectura de los procesos.

«But as the believers were able to bring forward more texts than the unbelievers and had in their hands an unanswerable argument in the Witch of Endor, the unbelievers, who dared not contradict the Word of God, were forced to fall back on the theory that the witches suffered from hallucination, hysteria, and, to use the modern word, 'autosuggestion'.» — sostiene que la explicación por alucinación no salió de examinar el material sino de un callejón sin salida: los escépticos no podían negar la pitonisa de Endor sin contradecir la Escritura, y les quedó la vía psicológica.

«They could not disprove the statements; they could not explain them without opposing the accepted religious beliefs of their time, and so weakening their cause by exposing themselves to the serious charge of atheism; therefore they denied evidence which in the case of any other accusation would have been accepted as proof.» — su reproche de método a los escépticos: negaron por conveniencia un testimonio que en cualquier otra acusación se habría admitido como prueba.

«Yet the ridicule is not fully deserved, for the facts are there, though the explanation is wrong; for even the two points, which are usually considered the ultimate proof of the absurdity and incredibility of the whole system—the flying on a broomstick through the window or up the chimney, and the transformation into animals—are capable of explanation.» — la operación que propone y que sostiene el libro entero: separar el hecho declarado de la explicación sobrenatural que se le montó encima. Incluso el vuelo en escoba y la transformación en animal los da por explicables, no por inventados.

«I have omitted the opinions of the authors, and have examined only the recorded facts, without however including the stories of ghosts and other 'occult' phenomena with which all the commentators confuse the subject.» — la regla de lectura que se impone sobre los cronistas: sus hechos sí, sus opiniones no, y fuera lo que ella tiene por contaminación ocultista del asunto.

«I have also, for the reason given below, omitted all reference to charms and spells when performed by one witch alone, and have confined myself to those statements only which show the beliefs, organization, and ritual of a hitherto unrecognized cult.» — el recorte que decide el objeto: no le interesa la hechicería individual sino lo que muestre creencias, organización y ritual de un culto que declara no reconocido hasta ella.

«Under Operative Witchcraft I class all charms and spells, whether used by a professed witch or by a professed Christian, whether intended for good or for evil, for killing or for curing.» — la primera mitad de su distinción capital: la brujería operativa es la magia práctica, indiferente a la fe de quien la usa y al fin bueno o malo que persiga.

«They are part of the common heritage of the human race and are therefore of no practical value in the study of any one particular cult.» — y por qué la deja fuera: siendo universal, el encantamiento no distingue a un culto de otro y no sirve para identificar el suyo.

«Ritual Witchcraft—or, as I propose to call it, the Dianic cult— embraces the religious beliefs and ritual of the people known in late mediaeval times as 'Witches'.» — la otra mitad de la distinción: frente a la magia operativa, un cuerpo de creencias y ritos religiosos, y el nombre que ella decide darle.

«The god, anthropomorphic or theriomorphic, was worshipped in well-defined rites; the organization was highly developed; and the ritual is analogous to many other ancient rituals.» — qué le atribuye al culto que reconstruye: un dios en forma humana o animal, ritos definidos, organización desarrollada, y un ritual emparentado con otros antiguos.

«The dates of the chief festivals suggest that the religion belonged to a race which had not reached the agricultural stage; and the evidence shows that various modifications were introduced, probably by invading peoples who brought in their own beliefs.» — de dónde deriva la antigüedad que le atribuye: del calendario de fiestas, no de un documento. Y el límite lo pone ella: las fechas *sugieren*, y las modificaciones vienen *probablemente* de pueblos invasores.

«Such a god is found in Italy (where he was called Janus or Dianus), in Southern France (see pp. 62, 129), and in the English Midlands.» — el dios de dos caras que pone junto al dios en forma de animal, y las tres regiones donde dice hallarlo; el nombre Dianus es la bisagra con la que llegará a Diana.

«The feminine form of the name, Diana, is found throughout Western Europe as the name of the female deity or leader of the so-called Witches, and it is for this reason that I have called this ancient religion the Dianic cult.» — la razón del nombre, dicha por ella: no lo toma de las fuentes como término del culto, sino del nombre de la deidad o jefa femenina que dice encontrar por toda Europa occidental.

«conqueror always regards the religion of the conquered as superior to his own in the arts of evil magic, the dwarf race obtained the reputation of wizards and magicians, and their god was identified by the conquerors with the Principle of Evil.» — el mecanismo entero de la demonización, del que la ficha ya recogía la cola: el vencedor teme la magia del vencido, y de ese temor salen a la vez la fama de magos y la identificación de su dios con el Mal.

«The identification of the witches with the dwarf or fairy race would give us a clear insight into much of the civilization of the early European peoples, especially as regards their religious ideas.» — el rendimiento que le ve a la hipótesis, enunciado en condicional: *would give*, si se estableciera. No la da por establecida aquí.

«Of these the sexual ritual has been given an overwhelming and quite unwarranted importance in the trials, for it became an obsession with the Christian judges and recorders to investigate the smallest and most minute details of the rite.» — su corrección de perspectiva sobre el material sexual de los procesos: el peso desmedido no es del culto sino de sus jueces, obsesionados con el detalle.

«Though in late examples the ceremony had possibly degenerated into a Bacchanalian orgy, there is evidence to prove that, like the same rite in other countries, it was originally a ceremonial magic to ensure fertility.» — la lectura que propone del rito sexual: magia ceremonial de fertilidad en su origen, orgía sólo en la degeneración tardía, y aun eso con un *possibly* puesto por ella.

«There is at present nothing to show how much of the Witches' Mass (in which the bread, the wine, and the candles were black) derived from the Christian ritual and how much belonged to the Dianic cult; it is, however, possible that the witches' service was the earlier form and influenced the Christian.» — de las sugerencias más fuertes del libro, y la enuncia con el freno puesto: declara primero que nada permite repartir la misa de brujas entre préstamo cristiano y fondo propio, y sólo después arriesga que la anterior fuera la de las brujas.

«The admission ceremonies were often elaborate, and it is here that the changes in the religion are most clearly marked; certain ceremonies must have been introduced when another cult was superimposed and became paramount, such as the specific renunciation of a previous religion which was obligatory on all new candidates, and the payment to the member who brought a new recruit into the fold.» — por qué mira las ceremonias de admisión antes que ninguna otra cosa: es donde se ve la superposición de un culto sobre otro, y la renuncia obligatoria a la fe anterior es para ella el fósil de esa capa.

«Much stress has always been laid by the sceptical writers on the undoubted fact that in many cases the witch confused dreams with reality and believed that she had visited the Sabbath when credible witnesses could prove that she had slept in her bed all the time.» — recoge la objeción del sueño sin rebajarla: la da por hecho indudable, y desde ahí discute qué se sigue de ella.

«Hence the Christian sees Christ and enters heaven; Mahomed was caught up to the Paradise of the true believers; the anthropomorphic Jehovah permitted only a back view to His votary; the Egyptian Pharaohs beheld their gods alive and moving on the earth.» — su respuesta comparada a esa objeción: la visión que confunde sueño y vigilia es común a todas las religiones y no descalifica a ésta más que a las otras.

«Thus the witches often went to the gibbet and the stake, glorifying their god and committing their souls into his keeping, with a firm belief that death was but the entrance to an eternal life in which they would never be parted from him.» — el argumento que más peso le da a su tesis religiosa: la conducta ante la ejecución, que lee como fe y no como delirio.

«Another objection is that, as the evidence of the witches at the trials is more or less uniform in character, it must be attributed to the publication by the Inquisitors of a questionary for the use of all judges concerned in such trials; in short, that the evidence is valueless, as it was given in answer to leading questions.» — enuncia entera la objeción del cuestionario inquisitorial, que es la que hoy se le opone a ella misma.

«No explanation is offered by the objectors as to how the Inquisitors arrived at the form of questionary, nor is any regard given to the injunction to all Inquisitors to acquaint themselves with all the details of any heresy which they were commissioned to root out;» — su réplica: aunque el cuestionario dirigiera las respuestas, alguien tuvo que redactarlo, y a los inquisidores se les mandaba informarse de la herejía antes de perseguirla.

«Had the testimony of the witches as to their beliefs varied widely, it would be prima facie evidence that there was no well-defined religion underlying their ritual; but the very uniformity of their confessions points to the reality of the occurrence.» — el paso decisivo de su método, y el más discutible: convierte la uniformidad del testimonio de indicio de contaminación en indicio de realidad.

«In most of the English and many of the Scotch trials legal torture was not applied; and it was only in the seventeenth century that pricking for the mark, starvation, and prevention of sleep were used.» — cómo acota el alcance de la objeción del tormento: lo circunscribe por jurisdicción y por siglo en vez de negarlo.

«Even then there were many voluntary confessions given by those who, like the early Christian martyrs, rushed headlong on their fate, determined to die for their faith and their god.» — el resto que le queda tras descontar la tortura: la confesión voluntaria, que compara con el martirio cristiano primitivo.

«In England the legal method of executing a witch was by hanging; after death the body was burnt and the ashes scattered.» — precisa el procedimiento inglés contra la imagen difundida de la hoguera: se ahorcaba, y el fuego venía después de la muerte.

«There was, however, one popular method of dealing with a person accused of witchcraft which is interesting as showing the survival of a legal process, obsolete as regards the law itself, but remaining in full force among the people.» — lee la prueba del agua como supervivencia: un procedimiento legal caído en desuso que seguía vivo fuera de los tribunales. Es la misma figura de continuidad que aplica al culto.

«Unless there was strong feeling against the woman for other reasons, the mere fact of her floating did not rouse the populace against her, and she merely returned home; Widow Coman, for instance, was 'ducked' on three separate occasions at her own request.» — matiza el terror popular con un caso que lo contradice: hubo quien pidió la prueba del agua para sí misma, y flotar no bastaba para desatar el linchamiento.

«The theologians of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were greatly exercised by the conclusive evidence which proved that people known to be devout and professing Christians had been present at the Sabbath, joined in the ceremonies, and worshipped the witches' god.» — el dato que a ella le sirve de prueba de la doble pertenencia y a los teólogos les resultaba un escándalo: cristianos practicantes en el sabbat.

«If it were proved that she had obtained her knowledge from the 'Devil' she had broken the law and must die.» — cómo describe el punto de derecho: no se juzgaba el daño causado sino el trato con el dios del culto.

«The theologians of the Reformed Churches, who could not accept the sanctity of the priesthood with the same ease and were also desirous of finding some means of accounting for the presence of the devout laity, boldly evolved the theory that the Devil could for his own purposes assume the shape of good Christians in order to mislead the witches.» — la salida doctrinal que describe: para explicar al devoto presente en el sabbat, los reformados hicieron del Diablo un suplantador de cristianos buenos.

«By this plea the accused often succeeded in escaping when the examiners were religious ministers, but it was of no value to them when the trial was in a court of law, and the fact of their presence at an illegal assembly was proved.» — y qué valía esa salida en la práctica: servía ante ministros, no ante un tribunal, donde bastaba probar la asistencia a una asamblea ilegal.

«Whether the religion which survived as the witch cult was the same as the religion of the Druids, or whether it belonged to a still earlier stratum, is not clear.» — se abstiene en el punto donde más fácil le sería afirmar: no decide si su culto es el de los druidas o un estrato anterior.

«Saxons, the king forsook his old gods, returned to them again, and finally forsook them altogether, the tribe followed his lead, and, in public at least, worshipped Christ, Odin, or any other deity whom the king favoured for the moment; but there can be hardly any doubt that in private the mass of the people adhered to the old religion to which they were accustomed.» — su explicación de la conversión de Inglaterra: fue tribal y siguió al rey, de modo que el cambio afectó al culto público y no a lo que la gente practicaba en privado. De ahí saca la continuidad.

«This tribal conversion is clearly marked when a heathen king married a Christian queen, or vice versa; and it must also be noted that a king never changed his religion without careful consultation with his chief men.» — la prueba que aduce de que la conversión era un acto político y no de conciencia: se negociaba con los grandes y viajaba en los matrimonios.

«It will be seen by the foregoing that so far from the Bull of Pope Innocent VIII being the beginning of the 'outbreak of witchcraft', as so many modern writers consider, it is only one of many ordinances against the practices of an earlier cult.» — su tesis frente a la periodización recibida: la bula de Inocencio VIII no abre la caza de brujas, se suma a una serie de ordenanzas muy anterior.

«It takes no account of the effect of these practices on the morals of the people who believed in them, but lays stress only on their power over fertility;» — lo que lee en la letra de las condenas eclesiásticas: no reprochan corrupción de costumbres, reprochan poder sobre la fecundidad.

«It shows therefore that the witches were considered to deal with fertility only.» — la conclusión que saca de esa lectura, en su forma más desnuda.

«Originally for the promotion of fertility, it became gradually degraded into a method for blasting fertility, and thus the witches who had been once the means of bringing prosperity to the people and the land by driving out all evil influences, in process of time were looked upon as being themselves the evil influences, and were held in horror accordingly.» — la inversión que propone como clave del cambio de reputación: los mismos que aseguraban la prosperidad acaban vistos como el mal del que antes protegían.

«The actual feelings of the witches towards their religion have been recorded in very few cases, but they can be inferred from the few records which remain.» — declara el límite de su base documental antes de usarla: los sentimientos de las acusadas casi no se consignaron y lo que dirá de ellos es inferencia.

«In a great number of trials, when the witches acknowledged that they had been asked to become members of the society, there follows an expression of this sort, 'ye freely and willingly accepted and granted thereto'.» — la fórmula de las actas en que apoya el carácter voluntario de la adhesión, contra la idea de un pacto arrancado.

«Though the English and Scotch witches' opinions are not reported, it is clear from the evidence that they were the same as those of the Basses-Pyrénées,» — una extrapolación suya, dicha con todas sus letras: donde el registro británico calla, rellena con el testimonio francés apoyada en su supuesto de un culto único.

«It is impossible to understand the witch-cult without first understanding the position of the chief personage of that cult.» — por dónde decide entrar al material: la figura del Maestro es la llave de todo lo demás, y por eso le dedica el capítulo más largo del libro.

«To them this so-called Devil was God, manifest and incarnate; they adored him on their knees, they addressed their prayers to him, they offered thanks to him as the giver of food and the necessities of life, they dedicated their children to him, and there are indications that, like many another god, he was sacrificed for the good of his people.» — la reinterpretación de la que vive el libro: lo que el juez llamaba Diablo era para el acusado un dios encarnado, con culto completo; y el sacrificio del propio dios lo añade con la cautela de una palabra, *indications*.

«The witches are even more explicit, and their evidence proves the belief that their Master was to them their God.» — otra vez el verbo fuerte, y conviene ver qué es lo probado: la creencia de las acusadas, no la divinidad del Maestro.

«The evidence of the witches makes it abundantly clear that the so-called Devil was a human being, generally a man, occasionally a woman.» — la afirmación sobre la que se levanta el resto: el Diablo de las actas era una persona de carne y hueso que presidía las reuniones, y de ahí en adelante todo el material se lee como descripción de un hombre disfrazado.

«Besides the Grand Master himself there was often a second 'Devil', younger than the Chief.» — la duplicidad de jefes que dice encontrar en los testimonios, y con la que explica que unos describan a un viejo y otros a un joven en el mismo distrito.

«There is no indication whatsoever as to the method of appointing the head of the witch-community, but it seems probable that on the death of the principal 'Devil' the junior succeeded, and that the junior was appointed from among the officers (see chap. vii).» — declara primero que no hay ningún dato sobre cómo se nombraba al jefe, y sólo después arriesga una sucesión escalonada marcada como probable.

«This suggestion, however, does not appear to hold good where a woman was the Chief, for her second in command was always a man» — y ella misma le pone la excepción: donde manda una mujer el segundo es siempre varón, con lo que la regla de sucesión que acaba de proponer no se sostiene.

«The token seems to have been carried on the foot, and was perhaps a specially formed boot or shoe, or a foot-covering worn under the shoe.» — su explicación del pie hendido, doblemente acotada —*seems*, *perhaps*—: una prenda de calzado que hacía de señal de reconocimiento, no una deformidad del cuerpo.

«Though the Devil of North Berwick, 1590, appeared in disguise, it is not only certain that he was a man but his identity can be determined.» — anuncia lo que va a hacer con el proceso más célebre de Escocia: no sólo sostener que el Diablo era un hombre, sino ponerle nombre propio.

«All the Covens of Somerset, 1664, were evidently under one Chief; he came to Elizabeth Style as 'a handsome man'; to Elizabeth Style, Anne Bishop, Alice Duke, and Mary Penny as 'a Man in black Clothes, with a little Band'; to Christian Green 'in the shape of a Man in blackish Clothes'; and to Mary and Catherine Green as 'a little Man in black Clothes with a little Band'.» — cómo trabaja: las descripciones coincidentes de varias acusadas de un mismo condado le sirven para postular un jefe único, y el detalle del cuello pequeño hace de rasgo identificador.

«The trials of the Auldearne witches in 1662 are fully reported as regards matters which interested the recorder; unfortunately the appearance of the Devil was not one of these, therefore Isobel Gowdie's description is abbreviated to the following: 'He was a meikle black roch man.» — su crítica de fuentes en acto: lo que se conserva depende de lo que al escribano le interesaba, y del retrato que hizo Gowdie quedó una línea.

«At Crook of Devon in Kinross-shire, in the same year, nine of the witches describe the men they saw, for evidently there were two 'Devils' in this district; Isobel Rutherford said that 'Sathan was in the likness of a man with gray cloathes and ane blue bannet, having ane beard'» — cómo usa la divergencia entre testimonios: donde otro vería contradicción, ella cuenta dos hombres distintos operando en el mismo distrito.

«The evidence suggests that an important part of the Devil's costume was the head-covering, which he appears to have worn both in and out of doors.» — el detalle que aísla como más constante de todo el atuendo, y del que hará indicio de vestimenta ritual: el tocado, que no se quitaba ni bajo techo.

«The Queen of Elphin, or Elfhame, is sometimes called the Devil, and it is often impossible to distinguish between her and the Devil when the latter appears as a woman.» — el punto donde su serie de hadas y su serie de brujas se tocan y ella no las separa: en las actas escocesas la Reina de Elfhame y el Diablo en figura de mujer no se dejan distinguir.

«Whether she was the same as the French Reine du Sabbat is equally difficult to determine.» — y se abstiene de dar el paso siguiente, que sería el que más le convendría: no identifica a la Reina escocesa con la Reine du Sabbat francesa.

«Elizabeth Stile of Windsor, in 1579, gives a description of Father Rosimond's changes of form, which points to his being the Chief of the Windsor witches: 'She confesseth, her self often tymes to haue gon to Father Rosimond house where she founde hym sittyng in a Wood, not farre from thence, vnder the bodie of a Tree, sometymes in the shape of an Ape, and otherwhiles like an Horse.» — el procedimiento con que identifica a los jefes locales: quien aparece transformado en las declaraciones es, para ella, la persona que hacía de Diablo en ese distrito, y aquí le pone nombre y casa.

«The account by John Stearne the pricker, in 1645, indicates that one of the magistrates of Fenny Drayton was the local Devil: 'Some will say, It is strange they should know when they should be searched, if it be kept private. I answer, Let it be kept never so private, it hath been common, and as common as any other thing, as they themselves have confessed: for so did they of Fenny-Drayton in Cambridge-shire, who made very large Confessions, as, that the devil told them of our coming to town.'» — de un detalle práctico saca una identificación: si las acusadas sabían de antemano cuándo iban a ser registradas, quien las avisaba tenía acceso a la información judicial, y por eso apunta a un magistrado.

«One of the clearest cases, however, is that of Marsh of Dunstable in 1649, 'whom Palmer confessed to be head of the whole Colledge of Witches, that hee knows in the world: This Palmer hath been a witch these sixty years (by his own confession) long enough to know and give in the totall summe of all the conjuring conclave, and the Society of Witches in England.'» — el caso que da por más limpio de su serie de identificaciones: un acusado que nombra al jefe de todos, con sesenta años de oficio detrás que, según ella, avalan lo que dice.

«It seems probable that the infamous Abbé Guibourg was the head of the Paris witches, for it was he who celebrated the 'black mass' and performed the sacrifice of a child, both of which were the duties of the 'Devil'.» — identifica por la función y no por la fama: quien oficia la misa y hace el sacrificio ocupa el puesto, sea sacerdote católico o no. El *seems probable* es suyo.

«That Burroughs was a religious person is no argument against his being also the 'Devil' of Salem.» — el corolario incómodo de su tesis, que enuncia sin rodeos: que un hombre fuera clérigo devoto no lo excluye de haber presidido el culto.

«The best-known case of the kind is that of Major Weir in Edinburgh in 1670, whose outward appearance tallies with the usual descriptions of the Devil, and whose conduct is only explainable on the supposition that he actually was the Chief of the witches: 'His garb was still a cloak, and somewhat dark, and he never went without his staff.» — cómo argumenta la identificación de un personaje real con el Maestro: la capa oscura y el bastón coinciden con el retrato de las actas, y de ahí sostiene que su conducta no se explica de otro modo.

«His reputation for piety was so great that a woman, who had actually seen him commit an offence against the criminal law, was flogged for mentioning the fact and thus defaming a man of such extreme and well-established piety.» — el detalle con que sostiene que la santidad pública y la jefatura del culto podían convivir sin que nadie las juntara: a la testigo la azotaron por decirlo.

«Keeping in mind Lord Coke's definition of a witch as 'a person who has conference with the Devil to take counsel or to do some act', it is clear that the fact of the Devil's bodily presence at the meetings had to be proved first, then the fact of the 'conference', and finally the attempts at murder.» — desmonta la acusación de North Berwick en sus piezas jurídicas, y de la primera saca lo que le interesa: el tribunal tuvo que probar una presencia corporal, no una aparición.

«The reports of the trial do not, however, differentiate these points in any way, and the religious prepossession of the recorders colours every account.» — el estado en que dice recibir el material del proceso más importante de su libro: sin distinguir cargos y teñido por la creencia de quien escribió.

«It is therefore necessary to take the facts without the construction put upon them by the natural bias of the Christian judges and writers.» — su regla de lectura enunciada otra vez sobre el caso concreto, y es la que autoriza todo lo que hará con North Berwick.

«Though the means used by the witches may seem ridiculous, the murderous intention is very clear.» — la distinción que hace entre la eficacia del medio y la realidad del propósito: la imagen de cera no mata, pero quien la fabrica quiere matar.

«I have arranged the evidence so as to make as far as possible a consecutive narrative of the occurrences.» — declara su propia intervención sobre el material: el relato seguido del proceso lo compone ella a partir de piezas dispersas.

«Both these two and Effie McCalyan were condemned and executed; Barbara Napier, equally guilty according to the evidence but more fortunate in her jurors, was released; for which action the jurors themselves were subsequently tried.» — el desenlace desigual del proceso, y el dato que le sirve de medida de la presión: se enjuició después al jurado que absolvió.

«In all cases of murder or attempted murder it is necessary to find the person who would benefit, for murder is differentiated from manslaughter by the fact that it is deliberately planned and that it is done for a motive.» — el principio con que aborda North Berwick, tomado del derecho penal y no de la antropología: busca a quien se beneficiaba.

«In the case of the witches of North Berwick, the man who instigated the meetings, and to whom consequently suspicion points, was Francis Stewart Earl of Bothwell.» — la identificación que da al caso su forma: el Diablo de North Berwick sería el conde de Bothwell, primo del rey y candidato al trono.

«Bothwell, however, was himself no bastard, though his father was.» — el punto genealógico del que depende el móvil: si el padre fue legitimado, el hijo tenía pretensión legítima a la corona, y con eso el complot deja de ser absurdo.

«Sampson admitted that the wax image was made at the instance of Francis, Earl of Bothwell; an admission sufficiently damning, but beyond that she would say nothing.» — el único enganche documental directo entre Bothwell y el proceso, y ella misma marca dónde se detiene: la declarante no dijo más.

«It is impossible to study the details of this period without realizing the extraordinary fear which James had of his cousin; it was fear with an underlying horror, totally different from his feeling towards his other turbulent subjects.» — el argumento no documental con que refuerza la identificación: el miedo particular de Jacobo VI a Bothwell, distinto del que le inspiraban otros nobles díscolos.

«Fian then must have been retaken because he wished to be retaken.» — una inferencia suya llevada al extremo: la fuga y el regreso de Fian los explica como sometimiento voluntario a su jefe, no como torpeza.

«Even if they did not acknowledge his divinity, they feared the magical powers which, as Chief of the Witches, he was supposed to wield.» — cómo explica la conducta de la corte ante Bothwell sin exigir que nadie creyera en su divinidad: bastaba el temor a su poder.

«But Bothwell as the Devil of the witches had the right to demand the yielding of the soul, and James was aware of the fact.» — el punto en que su reconstrucción se vuelve más arriesgada: atribuye al rey conocimiento de la posición ritual de su primo.

«The Devil being actually a human being, the letter of introduction to him, given by a man-witch to a would-be proselyte, becomes quite credible.» — el rendimiento que le saca a su tesis: detalles que como sobrenaturales son ridículos —una carta de presentación para el Diablo— se vuelven verosímiles en cuanto el destinatario es un hombre.

«A confusion, however, exists from the fact that the witches, and therefore the recorders, usually spoke of the familiars as the Devil; but in almost every case the disguised man can, on examination of the evidence, be distinguished from the animal familiar.» — la distinción que sostiene todo el capítulo de los animales: en las actas el nombre Diablo cubre a la vez al jefe disfrazado y al animal familiar, y ella separa los dos.

«i.e. the Devil appears as a goat or a sheep in France only; he is never found in any country as a hare, though this was the traditional form for a witch to assume; nor is he found as a toad, though this was a common form for the familiar; the fox and the ass also are unknown forms; and in Western Europe the pig is an animal almost entirely absent from all the rites and ceremonies as well as from the disguises of the Devil.» — un argumento hecho de ausencias, que es lo que hace fuerte el pasaje: si las formas se repartieran al azar aparecerían la liebre, el sapo, el zorro y el cerdo, y no aparecen.

«The witches never admitted in so many words that the Devil was a man disguised, but their evidence points strongly to the fact.» — el reconocimiento más honesto del libro sobre su propia tesis: ninguna declarante lo dijo; el disfraz es lectura suya del conjunto del testimonio.

«The wearing of the mask is indicated partly by descriptions of its appearance, and partly by the description of the Devil's voice.» — de dónde saca la máscara: no de una confesión, sino del cruce entre lo que describen del rostro y lo que describen de la voz.

«The evidence of the witches in the Basses-Pyrénées makes it clear that a disguise was worn, and that a mask was placed on the back either of the head or of the person; this also explains part of Agnes Sampson's evidence given above.» — el hallazgo que ordena el capítulo: una segunda máscara a la espalda, con la que explica de paso el testimonio escocés del rostro trasero.

«The effect of the mask at the back of the head was to make the man appear two-faced, 'comme le dieu Janus'.» — con eso cierra el círculo abierto en la introducción: el dios de dos caras no sería una supervivencia mitológica sino un efecto de vestuario.

«The coldness of the devil's entire person, which is vouched for by several witches, suggests that the ritual disguise was not merely a mask over the face, but included a covering, possibly of leather or some other hard and cold substance, over the whole body and even the hands.» — cómo convierte un rasgo tenido por sobrenatural en dato material: el frío del cuerpo lo explica por una vestidura completa, con el *possibly* puesto por ella.

«This shows the ritual disguise of the person and suggests the use of an animal's hide with the hair still attached.» — el paso siguiente de la misma lectura: la piel velluda que describen los testigos sería el pellejo del animal con el pelo puesto.

«On the other hand Agnes Murie 'knew not whether his body was hot or cold'.» — consigna el testimonio que no le sirve: una declarante que no supo decir si el cuerpo estaba frío. Es de las pocas veces en que anota el contraejemplo dentro de su propia serie.

«In this connexion it is worth noting that in Lapland as late as 1767 the devil appeared 'in the likeness of a cat, handling them from their feet to their mouth, and counting their teeth'.» — el paralelo lapón, al que vuelve varias veces: fuera del área de sus procesos encuentra la misma escena, y de ahí saca que no la fabricaron los jueces europeos.

«An interesting point as regards this form of disguise is that it does not occur in Great Britain, nor have I found it so far in Belgium.» — declara el hueco de su propia distribución en primera persona, con el *so far* que deja abierta la búsqueda.

«It prevailed chiefly in France, from which all my examples are taken.» — y admite en la frase siguiente que la serie francesa del disfraz de cabra descansa entera sobre una sola región documental.

«The actual disguise as a horse is not common.» — mide la frecuencia de cada forma en vez de acumularlas todas por igual, que es lo que le permite sostener que el reparto significa algo.

«The sheep-disguise, which is perhaps a form of the goat, is usually found in France only.» — reduce dos formas a una con la cautela dentro de la frase, y vuelve a acotar la geografía.

«The rarer animal disguises are the deer and the bear.» — cierra el inventario de disfraces por lo escaso, con lo que el capítulo queda ordenado por frecuencia y no por anécdota.

«the essentials are the same in every community and country, though the details differ.» — el supuesto que le permite armar una ceremonia única con piezas de países distintos: lo variable es el detalle, no el esqueleto.

«As no further ceremonies are mentioned, it may be concluded that the initiation into these mysteries was performed by degrees and without any special rites.» — razona desde el silencio de las actas y lo dice: si no se mencionan más ritos, concluye que la iniciación de los niños era gradual y sin ceremonia propia.

«but as the trial in which she figures was for the attempted poisoning of the king and not for witchcraft, no ceremonies of initiation or admission are recorded.» — de Marguerite Montvoisin, instruida en el oficio desde niña, no quedó registro de admisión: explica el hueco en vez de darlo por inexistente, porque el cargo del proceso decide qué se pregunta y qué queda escrito.

«In Great Britain the ceremonies for the reception of children are not given in any detail, though it was generally acknowledged that the witches dedicated their children to the Devil as soon as born;» — marca el hueco británico frente al material francés, que es el reparto documental de todo el capítulo.

«It was sometimes sufficient evidence against a woman that her mother had been a witch,» — la transmisión familiar leída desde el derecho: bastaba la madre para presumir la crianza en el culto, y ella lo toma como indicio de una religión heredada.

«The ceremonies being more startling and dramatic for adults than for children, they are recorded in Great Britain with the same careful detail as in France, and it is possible to trace the local variations; although in England, as is usual, the ceremonies had lost their significance to a far greater extent than in Scotland, and are described more shortly, probably because they were more curtailed.» — la gradación que sostiene entre Escocia e Inglaterra: allí el rito conservaba sentido, aquí se había abreviado, y el registro más pobre sería efecto de esa decadencia y no del escribano.

«The general order of the ceremony of admission can be gathered from the evidence given at the trials, though no one trial gives the order in its entirety.» — declara que la ceremonia que va a describir es una composición suya: ningún proceso la trae completa, y el orden lo arma cruzando fuentes.

«It is not clear whether the introduction of a candidate by a member of the society was an early or a late detail.» — se abstiene de datar uno de los rasgos que más le interesarían, el padrinazgo del recluta.

«The vows to the new God were as explicit as the renunciation of the old.» — la simetría en que insiste: la admisión no era sólo abjuración, sino profesión positiva de otra fe.

«The English witches merely took the vow of fealty and obedience, devoting themselves body and soul to him; sometimes only the soul, however, is mentioned» — la variante inglesa, más pobre, y el matiz de que a veces sólo se entregaba el alma.

«The signing of a covenant does not occur in every case and was probably a late introduction.» — separa el pacto escrito del núcleo del rito y lo data como añadido tardío, con su *probably*.

«The free consent of the candidate is a point always insisted on, and by the confessions of the witches themselves the consent was often not merely freely but actually willingly given.» — insiste en el consentimiento contra la imagen del alma arrastrada: no sólo libre, sino con voluntad, según las propias confesiones.

«The written contract appealed very strongly to the legal minds of the judges and magistrates, and it is therefore often mentioned, but in Great Britain there is no record of the actual wording of any individual covenant; the Devil seems to have kept the parchment, paper, or book in his own custody.» — distingue lo que interesaba al tribunal de lo que quedó documentado: del contrato se habla mucho y no se conserva ni una redacción.

«The contract was said to be signed always in the blood of the witch, and here we come to a confusion between the mark made on the person and the mark made by the person.» — desenreda una ambigüedad del material: la marca que se imponía en el cuerpo y la firma de sangre que el iniciado trazaba se confundieron en las actas.

«It seems clear that part of the ceremony of initiation was the cutting of the skin of the candidate to the effusion of blood.» — el hecho material que da por establecido bajo las dos versiones: se cortaba la piel hasta sacar sangre.

«The contract was usually for the term of the witch's life, but sometimes it was for a term of years, the number of which varies considerably.» — el plazo del pacto y su variación, que ella registra sin uniformarla.

«Popular belief assigns seven years as the length of time, at the end of which period the Devil was supposed to kill his votary.» — distingue la creencia popular del dato de las actas: el plazo de siete años pertenece a la primera.

«Though baptism is rare, the giving of a new name on admission is peculiar to Scotland.» — un rasgo que localiza en una sola región y no extiende: el nombre nuevo es escocés, y de ahí saca su lista de apodos del culto.

«There is nothing to throw any light on the reason for the change.» — y se detiene: registra el cambio de nombre sin ofrecer explicación, en una de sus abstenciones más limpias.

«There were two kinds of marks, which should be carefully differentiated, one of which was clearly natural, the other probably artificial.» — la distinción que ordena todo el tratamiento de la marca del Diablo, y con la que abre la vía anatómica que seguirá en la idea siguiente.

«Both were said to be insensible to pain and not to bleed when pricked or pierced.» — el rasgo común que las hacía prueba judicial: la insensibilidad al pinchazo.

«I can at present offer no solution of this problem.» — la abstención más rotunda del libro, y sobre un punto central: no explica la insensibilidad de la marca.

«The writers on witchcraft, particularly the legal authorities, recognize the value of the Mark as proof of witchcraft, and some differentiate between the two forms; the witches themselves made a distinction between the two, the natural being considered inferior to the artificial.» — atribuye la distinción no sólo a los juristas sino a los propios acusados, y con jerarquía: la marca hecha valía más que la de nacimiento.

«The Mark proper appears to have been the coloured spot or design which followed the infliction of a prick or nip by the claws or teeth of the Devil on the person of the neophyte.» — define la marca artificial como cicatriz coloreada de una herida hecha en la ceremonia, con el *appears* que la mantiene en hipótesis.

«From the evidence five facts are clear: (1) that the mark was coloured, (2) that it was permanent, (3) that it was caused by the pricking or tearing of the skin, (4) that the operator passed his hand or fingers over the place, (5) that the pain could be severe and might last a considerable time.» — su modo de trabajar en su forma más nítida: extrae del testimonio cinco constantes materiales y con ellas propone que la marca era un tatuaje, sin nombrarlo en la lista.

«All writers on the subject agree that the phenomenon is of more common occurrence than is usually supposed, but that many cases pass unnoticed unless well marked when in men or causing discomfort by functioning when in women.» — la otra mitad de su explicación de la marca, y aquí se apoya en la literatura médica: el pezón supernumerario es frecuente y suele pasar inadvertido.

«The supernumerary nipple is usually very much smaller than the normal; like the normal, it is a modification of cutaneous tissue and is not attached to muscular tissue; its removal is a simple operation, in fact it would be quite possible for an unskilled operator to cut it off with a sharp knife.» — el detalle anatómico que le importa para el proceso judicial: podía cortarse sin cirujano, con lo que la marca era manipulable por quien buscaba pruebas o por quien quería borrarlas.

«In women the supernumerary nipple is observed to increase at the time of the periods; in some cases during lactation so much milk is secreted as to make it a matter of indifference whether the child is suckled at the normal nipples or at the supernumerary one.» — el dato con que explica sin recurso a lo sobrenatural el relato de los familiares que maman: el pezón supernumerario puede dar leche.

«Of the coloured mark it will be seen from the evidence given above that there were certain well-defined positions, which is in itself a strong suggestion of the artificial character of this mark.» — el argumento decisivo de todo el tratamiento: si la marca cayera al azar sería un accidente del cuerpo; que caiga en sitios fijos indica mano que la pone.

«The positions of the marks are worth noting.» — el anuncio del inventario por regiones, que es donde el capítulo se vuelve estadístico.

«In France the usual position was the left shoulder; in the Basses-Pyrénées the left eye, the left side, and the thigh were also commonly marked;» — el reparto francés de las posiciones; la insistencia en la izquierda es lo que le da forma de convención y no de azar.

«In England it seems that only the hand and wrist were marked; in Somerset the exact position was between the upper and middle joints» — el reparto inglés, mucho más estrecho, y otra vez el *seems* de por medio.

«In Scotland the position is very varied, the right hand, the right side, the shoulder, the back, the neck, and the loin; at Aberdeen the position on the right hand is still further defined as being on the back and on the third finger, i.e. the 'ring-finger'.» — el reparto escocés, disperso salvo en Aberdeen, donde la precisión del dedo anular es lo que ella retiene como uso local.

«But from the positions in which supernumerary nipples are known to occur, it would seem that he is speaking of the 'little Teat' and not of the coloured mark.» — corrige a Reginald Scot con el argumento anatómico: por los lugares que enumera, lo que describe es el pezón y no la marca pintada.

«In six out of the thirty-two cases of supernumerary nipple cited above, the number of nipples is not given; though from the context it would appear that more than one was often found on each of the accused.» — declara el hueco de su propio recuento antes de dar la cifra, que es lo que hace utilizable la estadística que sigue.

«If, therefore, we allow two apiece for those cases not definitely specified, there were sixty-three such nipples, an average roughly of two to each person; the number varying, however, from one to five (this last being a man).» — la cuenta hecha con su supuesto a la vista: sesenta y tres pezones en treinta y dos personas, con el promedio y el rango declarados.

«The position of the nipple on the body is given in forty-five out of the sixty-three cases: abdomen 2, axilla 1, buttock 1, fundament 3, groin 2, pudenda 30, shoulder 3, side 3, under tongue 1.» — la tabla completa, con el denominador dicho; la concentración en las partes pudendas es lo que después contrasta con la distribución médica conocida.

«There were two kinds of assemblies; the one, known as the Sabbath, was the General Meeting of all the members of the religion; the other, to which I give—on the authority of Estebène de Cambrue —the name of Esbat, was only for the special and limited number who carried out the rites and practices of the cult, and was not for the general public.» — la segunda palabra que ella pone en circulación, y otra vez lo declara: sabbath es de las fuentes, esbat lo toma de un solo testimonio francés y lo generaliza como término técnico. La distinción es entre asamblea general y reunión de oficiantes.

«The derivation of the word Sabbath in this connexion is quite unknown.» — se abstiene de etimologizar la palabra que da nombre a todo el asunto, y descarta expresamente la relación con el siete.

«There are, however, a few instances where it was thought worth while to mention that the worshippers walked to the meeting.» — el hecho que a nadie le pareció digno de anotar y que a ella le importa: a la mayoría de las reuniones se iba andando.

«In the cases cited above there is nothing in the least bizarre or extraordinary, but there are other methods recorded of reaching the distant meetings.» — el orden en que dispone el material: primero lo ordinario, y sólo después el vuelo, para que lo segundo se lea sobre el fondo de lo primero.

«Sometimes the obvious means was by riding on a horse; sometimes the witches were accused, or claimed the power, of flying through the air, of riding in the air on a stick, of riding on animals or human beings, which latter were sometimes in their own natural form and sometimes enchanted into the form of animals.» — el inventario de medios de traslado, y dentro de él una distinción suya que no conviene perder: unas veces se les acusaba del poder, otras lo reclamaban ellas.

«The belief in the power of witches to ride in the air is very ancient and universal in Europe.» — data la creencia en el vuelo muy por encima de los procesos que estudia, con lo que deja de ser invención de los jueces del XVI.

«So far this is only hearsay evidence, but there is also a certain amount of first-hand testimony, the witches declaring that they actually passed through the air above ground,» — separa por rango probatorio lo que ha reunido: hasta aquí, de oídas; a partir de aquí, de las declarantes mismas.

«The belief that the witches actually rode in the air seated on some concrete object, such as an animal, a human being, or a stick, is both ancient and universal, and is reflected in the ecclesiastical and civil laws, of which the earliest is the decree of the ninth century, attributed to the Council of Ancyra.» — remonta la creencia al canon del siglo IX, y marca la atribución al concilio de Ancira como atribución y no como hecho.

«The method of locomotion which has most impressed the popular imagination and has become proverbial was riding on a stick, generally said to be a broomstick.» — separa lo célebre de lo frecuente: la escoba es lo que quedó en el imaginario, no lo que más aparece en sus actas.

«It must, however, be remembered that one of the earliest cases on record of stick-riding does not definitely state that the witch flew through the air.» — el límite que le pone a la pieza más famosa de su material: el testimonio más antiguo habla de cabalgar un palo, no de volar.

«Though Holinshed is not always a reliable authority, it is worth while to compare this account with the stick-riding of the Arab witches and the tree-riding of the Aberdeen Covens» — descuenta a su fuente antes de usarla, y aun así la usa por vía comparativa; es su manera más habitual de tratar a un cronista dudoso.

«The croix is clearly the Christian form of the standing stone which is a marked feature in many descriptions of the Sabbath; and Bodin's statement recalls one of the laws of Cnut in the eleventh century, 'We earnestly forbid every heathenism: heathenism is, that men worship idols; that is that they worship heathen gods, or stones, or forest trees of any kind.'» — cierra el círculo entre el lugar de reunión de los procesos y la ley de Cnut contra el culto a piedras y árboles: la cruz de encrucijada sería el menhir cristianizado.

«In modern times the identification of stones or of certain places with the Devil or with witch meetings is very noticeable.» — trae la toponimia viva como prueba lateral de continuidad, en la línea de su lectura de los nombres de lugar.

«It is also noticeable how many of our own stone circles, such as the Nine Maidens, the Dancing Maidens, and so on, are connected by tradition with women who danced there on the Sabbath.» — el eslabón que le interesa entre círculos megalíticos y baile de brujas está en la tradición oral, y como tal lo consigna.

«Date.—It appears from the evidence that certain changes took place in course of time in the religion; and, as might be expected, this is shown very markedly in the festivals.» — el calendario le sirve de estratigrafía: donde el culto cambió, el cambio se ve primero en las fiestas.

«The four actual days are given in only one trial, that of Issobell Smyth at Forfar in 1661, 'By these meitings shee mett with him every quarter at Candlemas, Rud-day, Lambemas, and Hallomas',[385] but it is very clear that» — el dato que conviene tener presente al leerla: las cuatro fiestas que la tradición posterior dará por doctrina aparecen juntas en un solo proceso, y ella lo dice.

«The actual hour at which the Sabbath was held is specified in very few cases; it appears to have been a nocturnal assembly, beginning about midnight and lasting till early dawn or cockcrow.» — declara la escasez del dato antes de generalizar la hora, y la generalización queda en *appears*.

«The only daylight meeting which can be identified as a Sabbath occurred at Aberdeen, and may have been peculiar either to the locality or to the May-Day festival; or it may have been simply the continuation of the festival till the sun rose.» — ante una excepción única ofrece tres explicaciones posibles y no elige ninguna, que es su forma más limpia de no forzar el material.

«The Swedish witches (1669) seem to have used the same site for both kinds of meetings; Blockula seems to have been a building of some kind, set in a meadow which was entered by a painted gate; within the building were rooms and some kind of chapel for the religious service.» — reconstruye Blockula como edificio real con capilla, doblemente acotado por *seems*; de ahí saca que el culto sueco tenía local propio.

«Sometimes, however, the spells were originally for the promotion of fertility, but were misunderstood by the recorders and probably by the witches themselves.» — el paso más audaz de su lectura y lo dice sin ambages: el malentendido no sería sólo del juez, también de la practicante, que ya no sabía para qué servía el rito que ejecutaba.

«The greater number of meetings were occupied with business of a magical character with the intention of harming certain specified persons; though any other kind of business was also transacted.» — de qué se ocupaba en la práctica la reunión restringida: magia dañina contra personas nombradas, y de paso cualquier otro asunto.

«the first was to give a name to the familiar of Alison Device, which could not be done as she was not present, being then in prison; the second was to arrange a scheme or plot for the release of Mother Demdike, the principal witch of the community, then a prisoner in Lancaster Castle; the plot involved the killing of the gaoler and governor, and the blowing up of the castle.» — el orden del día de la reunión de Malking Tower, que ella trata como acta de una asociación: un trámite ritual pendiente y un plan de fuga con violencia.

«At Forfar (1661) the means of obtaining the result are apparent; during a great storm the Devil and the witches destroyed the bridge of Cortaquhie, and the destruction was so arranged as to appear to have been effected by magical power; but Helen Guthrie confessed that 'they went to the bridge of Cortaquhie with intentione to pull it doune, and that for this end shee her selfe, Jonnet Stout, and others of them, did thrust ther shoulderis againest the bridge, and that the divell wes bussie among them acting his pairt'.» — el caso que sostiene toda su tesis del medio físico: el puente no cayó por conjuro sino por hombros empujando, y el conjuro sirvió para que lo pareciera.

«This will account for the meetings on the sea-shore in raging storms when vessels were liable to be wrecked, and there are also many indications that the destruction of an enemy was effected by means more certain than the making and pricking of a wax or clay figure, means which were used after the figure had been made.» — generaliza el caso del puente: bajo la magia habría acción material, y la figura de cera sería el envoltorio ritual de un procedimiento más seguro. Es el punto donde su lectura roza la acusación de crimen real.

«Site.—In some places the Esbat was held at a fixed site, in others the site varied from week to week.» — el reparto que encuentra en el lugar de la reunión chica, sin unificarlo.

«On the whole, the weight of evidence in England and Scotland is in favour of Danaeus's statement that there was no fixed site, though this should be taken as referring to the local meetings only, not to the Great Assemblies.» — pesa las fuentes en vez de sumarlas, y acota el alcance de la conclusión a la reunión chica.

«Sometimes also a sidelight is thrown upon these gatherings, which explains the fact that in many cases the witches said that they did not know all the people present at a given meeting:» — resuelve una objeción con un dato de organización: si las reuniones juntaban gente de varias parroquias, era normal no conocer a todos.

«There was no fixed day or hour for the Esbat, and in this it differed from the Sabbath, which was always at night.» — la diferencia formal entre las dos asambleas, que es lo que sostiene la distinción que introdujo al abrir el capítulo.

«The Devil let his followers know the time, either by going to them himself or by sending a message by the officer.» — cómo se convocaba, y de paso la primera aparición del oficial, cargo al que dedicará el capítulo de la organización.

«Though there was no fixed day for the Esbat, it seems probable that one day in the week was observed in each locality.» — matiza lo que acaba de decir: sin día común, pero con costumbre local, y con el *seems probable* a la vista.

«The English and Scotch evidence is to the same effect.» — el modo en que cierra sus series: coteja el material británico con el continental antes de dar por buena la regla.

«The exact order of the ceremonies is never given and probably varied in different localities, but the general rule of the ritual at the Sabbath seems to have been that proceedings began by the worshippers paying homage to the Devil, who sat or stood in a convenient place.» — vuelve a declarar que el orden que va a exponer es reconstrucción suya, y lo abre con el homenaje.

«The homage consisted in renewing the vows of fidelity and obedience, in kissing the Devil on any part of his person that he chose to indicate, and sometimes in turning a certain number of times widdershins.» — las tres piezas del homenaje; el giro contra el sol entra como detalle ocasional y no como regla.

«Then followed the reports of all magic worked since the previous Sabbath, either by individuals or at the Esbats, and at the same time the witches consulted the Master as to their cases and received instructions from him how to proceed; after which came admissions to the society or marriages of the members.» — el tramo que da al sabbat forma de sesión administrativa: rendición de cuentas, consulta técnica y trámites de estado civil.

«Immediately after all the business was transacted, the religious service was celebrated, the ceremonial of which varied according to the season of the year; and it was followed by the 'obscene' fertility rites.» — el oficio religioso y su variación estacional, que es lo que le permite llamar religión y no reunión a lo que describe.

«The whole ceremony ended with feasting and dancing, and the assembly broke up at dawn.» — el cierre de la asamblea, con lo que la secuencia queda completa de la llegada al amanecer.

«The Devil himself often went round and collected the congregation; and, not being in his 'grand arroy', he appeared as a man in ordinary dress.» — el detalle que más le sirve: fuera de la ceremonia el Maestro andaba de calle, y sólo se vestía para el oficio.

«Instead of the religious service with the adoration of the god, the witches worked the spells and charms with which they bewitched or unbewitched their enemies and friends, or they exercised new methods which they learnt from their Master, or received instructions how to practise the arts of healing and secret poisoning, of causing and blasting fertility.» — en qué se diferenciaba el esbat del sabbat: allí no había culto sino trabajo y enseñanza, incluida la de curar y la de envenenar.

«The ceremony is one of the earliest of which there is any record.» — del beso al Maestro dice que es de los ritos mejor documentados en el tiempo, y con eso lo saca del catálogo de invenciones de los jueces.

«Danaeus (1575) and Cooper (1617) are the only writers who mention the kiss in their general accounts of the ceremonies.» — cuenta sus fuentes en vez de suponerlas: de los tratadistas generales, sólo dos recogen el rito.

«The two faces are thus distinctly vouched for, and the use of them seems to have been to distinguish the position of the witch in the society.» — la función que atribuye a la doble máscara: no es adorno mitológico sino marca de rango, según a cuál de los dos rostros se besara.

«Dances as an important part of fertility rites are too well known to need description.» — apoya el baile en el estado de la antropología de su tiempo y no en su propio material, que es la clase de apoyo prestado que conviene ver cuando se la lee.

«The jumping dance seems to have had for its object the growth of the crops;» — la lectura del salto como magia imitativa del crecimiento, con el *seems* delante.

«The two principal forms of the dance were the ring-dance and the follow-my-leader dance, but there was also a very complicated form which was not understood by the Inquisitors, who therefore dismiss it with the words 'tout est en confusion'.» — clasifica los bailes y, de paso, muestra qué pasaba cuando el escribano no entendía lo que veía: lo despachaba como desorden.

«It still survives, however, in the Basses-Pyrénées, in some of the very villages which were inhabited by witches in the sixteenth century—those witches whose proceedings de Lancre describes so vividly.» — su argumento de supervivencia aplicado a un baile concreto: la misma danza seguía bailándose en los pueblos de los procesos.

«When, however, the Devil was the leader, the second-in-command was in the rear to keep up those who could not move so quickly as the others.» — la posición del segundo jefe en la fila, que ella toma como dato de organización y no como escena pintoresca.

«As pace was apparently of importance, and as it seems to have been a punishable offence to lag behind in the dance, this is possibly the origin of the expression 'The Devil take the hindmost'.» — una etimología de dicho popular, propuesta con dos frenos seguidos, *apparently* y *possibly*.

«Isobel Gowdie was unfortunately not encouraged to describe the dances in which she had taken part, so that our information, instead of being full and precise, is very meagre.» — vuelve a atribuir el hueco al interés del interrogador y no a la inexistencia del hecho; es su explicación estándar de los silencios del archivo.

«A curious variation of the follow-my-leader dance was practised at Aberdeen on Rood Day, a date which as I have shown elsewhere corresponds with the Walpurgis-Nacht of the German witches.» — remite a trabajo propio anterior para alinear la fecha escocesa con la alemana, que es como construye su calendario europeo único.

«Vocal music was also heard at the meetings, sometimes as an accompaniment of the dance, sometimes as an entertainment in itself.» — separa los dos usos del canto, que después le sirven para distinguir el himno del entretenimiento.

«When it was sung as a part of the dance, the words were usually addressed to the Master, and took the form of a hymn of praise.» — el canto como pieza litúrgica dirigida a una persona presente, no como conjuro.

«Such a hymn addressed to the god of fertility would be full of allusions and words to shock the sensibilities of the Christian priests and ministers who sat in judgement on the witches.» — su explicación de la obscenidad de los cantos: no era blasfemia deliberada, era lenguaje de culto de fertilidad oído por jueces cristianos.

«Where it was usual to have it in the open, tables were carried out and the food laid upon them; indoor feasts were always spread on tables; but in the English accounts of the open-air meal the cloth was spread, picnic-fashion, on the ground.» — el detalle material del banquete, con la diferencia inglesa marcada: mantel en el suelo, como una comida de campo.

«The taboo on salt is interesting, but it does not appear to have been by any means universal.» — señala un rasgo llamativo y en la misma frase le quita alcance, sin construir con él una regla.

«If this were always the case, it would be quite possible that then, as now, dancing and excitement had a great effect on the appetite, and that the ordinary amount of food would appear insufficient.» — explica en clave ordinaria las quejas sobre la comida escasa del sabbat: baile y excitación abren el apetito.

«But no matter who provided it, the thanks of the feasters were solemnly and reverently given to the Master, to whose power the production of all food was due.» — la acción de gracias que convierte la comida en acto de culto, y con ella el Maestro queda descrito como dios dador del alimento.

«This was always the Devil's place at the feast, and beside him sat the chief of the women witches.» — la disposición de la mesa como jerarquía visible, con la mujer principal a su lado.

«The Kinross-shire witches obtained their food from the Devil, and this is one of the few instances of complaints as to the quality of it.» — anota la excepción dentro de su propia serie: casi nunca se quejaban de la comida, y aquí sí.

«In Sweden the witches collected the food and sent it to the Devil, who gave them as much of it as he thought fit.» — el reparto sueco, invertido respecto del británico: allí la comida sube al jefe y baja racionada.

«At first sight it would seem that the candles were naturally used only to illuminate the midnight festivities, but the evidence points to the burning lights being part of the ritual.» — descarta la explicación práctica y se queda con la ritual, que es el movimiento inverso al que hace con el vuelo o con el frío del cuerpo.

«The light is particularly mentioned in many instances as being carried by the Devil, usually on his head; the witches often lit their torches and candles at this flame, though sometimes it seems that the Devil lit the torch and then presented it to the witch.» — la luz que se enciende de la del jefe, que ella describe como transmisión ritual y no como comodidad.

«The light seems to have been sometimes so arranged, probably in a lantern, as to be diffused.» — otra explicación material de un efecto tenido por prodigioso, con dos cautelas encima.

«The description of the event suggests that the saying 'To hold a candle to the Devil' took its rise in actual fact.» — segunda etimología de dicho popular, y del mismo tipo que la del rezagado en la danza: la frase hecha como fósil de una práctica.

«The material of which the candles or torches were made was pitch, according to de Lancre, and at North Berwick the lights were 'like lighted candles' burning with a blue flame.» — deriva el color de la llama del material y no del prodigio: pez ardiendo da llama azul.

«The evanescent character of the light, when a wisp of straw was used, is noted in the evidence of Antide Colas.» — la luz que se apaga enseguida explicada por el combustible, con lo que la aparición y desaparición de las luces deja de necesitar magia.

«According to Boguet (1589) the Devil did not always perform the religious service himself, but mass was celebrated by a priest among his followers; this custom is found in all countries and seems to have been as common as that the Devil himself should perform the service.» — la pieza que sostiene su idea de un clero del culto: había sacerdotes entre los miembros que oficiaban en lugar del jefe.

«Guibourg acknowledged that, besides the one just quoted, he celebrated three masses in this way.» — la confesión del abate parisino, que a ella le vale como caso documentado de sacerdote católico oficiando el rito del culto.

«The chief authorities all agree as to the fact of animal sacrifices.» — establece el consenso de sus fuentes antes de entrar en las cifras, que es donde empezará a descontarlas.

«The rite was usually performed privately by an individual; on rare occasions it was celebrated by a whole Coven, but it does not occur at the Great Assembly, for there the sacrifice was of the God himself.» — el reparto del sacrificio por tipo de reunión, y la frase que anuncia lo que sostendrá después: en la asamblea grande el sacrificado era el dios.

«The number of sacrifices in the year is exaggerated by the writers on the subject, but the witches themselves are often quite definite in their information when it happens to be recorded.» — descuenta a los tratadistas y se queda con las declarantes, que es su jerarquía habitual de fuentes.

«In the case of the Lancashire witch, Margaret Johnson, in 1633, it is difficult to say whether the pricking was for the purpose of marking or for a blood sacrifice;» — deja sin resolver la ambigüedad de un caso en vez de asignarlo a la serie que le conviene.

«It is possible that the custom of burying a live animal to cure disease among farm animals, as well as the charm of casting a live cat into the sea to raise a storm, are forms of the animal sacrifice.» — enlaza el sacrificio con costumbres campesinas todavía vivas, y lo enuncia como posibilidad.

«This last is an important point, and was the reason why unbaptized children were considered to be in greater danger from witches than the baptized.» — el punto del que hará depender el material sobre niños: lo que estaba en juego en las actas era el bautismo, no la edad.

«The whole ceremony was performed to the end that the love of Louis XIV should return to Madame de Montespan, at that time his discarded mistress; it seems to be a kind of fertility rite, hence its use on this occasion.» — reencuadra el escándalo de las misas negras de París como rito de fecundidad puesto al servicio de un asunto de corte.

«Both he and the girl Montvoisin were practically agreed as to the rite; though from the girl's words it would appear that the child was already dead, while Guibourg's evidence implies that it was alive.» — coteja dos declaraciones sobre el mismo acto y deja la discrepancia en pie, que es donde se juega si hubo homicidio o no.

«It is possible that the killing of children by poison was one method of sacrifice when the cult was decadent and victims difficult to obtain.» — una conjetura marcada como tal, y de las más pesadas del libro: el envenenamiento como sustituto tardío del sacrificio.

«It is impossible to believe in any great frequency of this sacrifice, but there is considerable foundation in fact for the statement that children were killed, and it accounts as nothing else can for the cold-blooded murders of children of which the witches were sometimes accused.» — reparte la afirmación en dos mitades que conviene no separar al citarla: descree de la frecuencia y sostiene el hecho.

«Here the idea of sympathetic magic is very clear; by eating the flesh of a child who had never spoken articulate words, the witches' own tongues would be unable to articulate.» — explica el uso de la carne infantil por magia simpática: comer del que no habló para no poder hablar bajo tormento.

«The sacrifice of the witch-god was a decadent custom when the records were made in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.» — sitúa el sacrificio del dios en el pasado del material que maneja: lo que las actas recogen sería el residuo, no la práctica viva.

«It is uncertain whether the interval of time between the sacrifices was one, seven, or nine years.» — no cierra el ciclo, y deja los tres números en pie; es la clase de reserva que se le suele borrar al resumirla.

«The collection and use of the ashes by the worshippers point to the fact that we have here a sacrifice of the god of fertility.» — el argumento que convierte la escena de la quema en rito agrario: lo que importa es que las cenizas se guardan y se emplean.

«but when Christianity became sufficiently powerful to attempt the suppression of the ancient religion, such practices were represented as evil, and were therefore said to be 'pour faire mancquer les fruits» — la inversión de signo aplicada a las cenizas: lo que servía para dar fruto se declara hecho para quitarlo.

«The animal-substitute for the divine victim is usually the latest form of the sacrifice;» — su regla de sucesión de las formas, con la que ordena en el tiempo lo que las actas dan revuelto.

«Frazer has pointed out that the human victim, whether the god himself or his human substitute, did not content himself by merely not attempting to escape his destiny, but in many cases actually rushed on his fate, and died by his own hand or by voluntary submission to the sacrificer.» — el préstamo teórico declarado: la víctima voluntaria la toma de Frazer, y sobre ella monta su lectura de las muertes de Juana de Arco y de Gilles de Rais.

«I have already suggested that the child-murders, of which the witches were often convicted, were in many cases probably offerings made to the God.» — recapitula su propia hipótesis marcándola como sugerencia y con un *probably* encima.

«This explanation accounts for the fact that the bodies of witches, male or female, were always burnt and the ashes scattered; for the strong prejudice which existed, as late as the eighteenth century, against any other mode of disposing of their bodies; and for some of the otherwise inexplicable occurrences in connexion with the deaths of certain of the victims.» — el rendimiento que le pide a su teoría: explicar de una vez la quema obligatoria, la dispersión de las cenizas y el prejuicio popular contra cualquier otra sepultura.

«Read in the light of this theory much of the mystery which surrounds the fate of Joan of Arc is explained.» — el enunciado del que saldrá su apéndice sobre Juana, y va con la palabra *theory* dentro.

«Nine years after her death in the flames her commander, Gilles de Rais, was tried on the same charge and condemned to the same fate.» — el paralelo cronológico con que empareja los dos casos, y del que hará el intervalo de nueve años una pieza de su argumento.

«The belief that the witch must be burnt and the ashes scattered was so ingrained in the popular mind that, when the severity of the laws began to relax, remonstrances were made by or to the authorities.» — la persistencia de la exigencia de fuego incluso cuando la ley aflojaba, que ella lee como resto de la lógica del sacrificio.

«The witches themselves also held the belief that they ought to die by fire.» — el giro que da fuerza a lo anterior: la exigencia de la hoguera no venía sólo del tribunal, también de las condenadas.

«The magic words known to the witches were used only for certain definite purposes, the most important use being to raise the Devil.» — acota el repertorio verbal: no hay conjuros para todo, hay fórmulas para funciones concretas.

«The 'conjuring of cats' was a distinct feature, and is clearly derived from an early form of sacrifice.» — enlaza los ritos escoceses con gatos con el sacrificio animal, y aquí el verbo va sin freno: *clearly derived*.

«The details are recorded only in Scotland, and it is possible that Scotland is the only country in which it occurred, though the sanctity of the cat in other places suggests that the omission in the records is accidental.» — y acto seguido pone las dos lecturas posibles del hueco documental sin decidir entre ellas.

«The legal record of this event is more detailed and less dramatic; the sieves are never mentioned, the witches merely walking to the Pier-head in an ordinary and commonplace manner.» — coteja el acta judicial con el relato impreso del mismo hecho y muestra en qué se abultó: las cribas para navegar no están en el expediente, en el expediente van andando.

«The complete grace is given on p. 167. It will be seen that it is a corrupt version of some ancient form of words.» — trata la fórmula de bendición de la mesa como texto transmitido y deteriorado, no como invención del declarante.

«The meaning of the word laif is not clear.» — se detiene ante una palabra que no entiende en vez de traducirla a conveniencia.

«The Oxford dictionary gives lop-eared, the Scotch dictionary gives loaf.» — pone los dos diccionarios uno junto a otro y deja la elección a la vista del lector.

«I have pointed out that the cry of 'A Boy' is possibly the Christian recorder's method of expressing the Bacchic shout 'Evoe'.» — una de sus etimologías más arriesgadas, y con el *possibly* puesto: el grito de las actas escocesas sería el evohé báquico oído por un escribano cristiano.

«This fact was recognized in the papal Bulls formulated against the witches who were denounced, not for moral offences, but for the destruction of fertility.» — vuelve sobre la letra de las bulas para fijar de qué se acusaba realmente: no de inmoralidad, de estropear la fecundidad.

«The charms used by the witches, the dances, the burning of the god and the broadcast scattering of his ashes, all point to the fact that this was a fertility cult; and this is the view taken also by those contemporary writers who give a more or less comprehensive account of the religion and ritual.» — reúne en una frase las cuatro piezas de su reconstrucción y añade que los tratadistas de la época veían lo mismo.

«When the charm was for fertility in general, it was performed by the whole congregation together; but for the fertility of any particular woman, animal, or field, the ceremony was performed by one witch alone or by two at most.» — la regla que reparte los ritos entre asamblea y encargo particular, y que ordena su distinción entre culto y hechicería.

«The number of midwives who practised witchcraft points also to this fact; they claimed to be able to cause and to prevent pregnancy, to cause and to prevent an easy delivery, to cast the labour-pains, on an animal or a human being (husbands who were the victims are peculiarly incensed against these witches), and in every way to have power over the generative organs of both sexes.» — el oficio de comadrona como el lugar donde el poder sobre la fecundidad era competencia real, y el paréntesis sobre los maridos es suyo.

«The number of midwives who were also witches was very great, and the fact can hardly be accidental.» — el mismo dato dicho como argumento: la coincidencia entre oficio y acusación no le parece casual.

«It is not unlikely that the charms as noted in the book were the result of many experiments, for we know that the witches were bound to give account to the Devil of all the magic they performed in the intervals between the Sabbaths, and he or his clerk recorded their doings.» — imagina el libro de encantamientos como registro acumulado de pruebas, con la rendición de cuentas del esbat como fuente de sus datos.

«The rain-making powers of the witches have hardly been noted by writers on the subject, for by the time the records were made the witches were credited with the blasting of fertility rather than its increase.» — explica un silencio de la bibliografía por el cambio de signo del culto: cuando se escribieron las actas, ya sólo se les atribuía dañar.

«Yet from what remains it is evident that the original meaning of much of the ritual was for the production of fertilizing rain, though both judges and witnesses believed that it was for storms and hail.» — la reinterpretación con su límite dentro: el sentido original sería la lluvia fértil, y ni el juez ni el testigo lo veían así.

«The throwing of stones as a fertility rite is found in the trial of Jonet Wischert, one of the chief witches at Aberdeen, and is there combined with a nudity rite.» — un rito documentado en un solo proceso, con su combinación de piedras y desnudez, del que ella hace pieza de su serie agraria.

«Every contemporary writer who gives a general view of the religion and ritual observes the witches' powers over human fertility.» — apoya el punto en la unanimidad de los tratadistas antes de entrar en los testimonios sueltos.

«Such fertility rites are governed by certain rules, which vary in different countries, particularly as to the age of girls, i.e. whether they are over or under puberty.» — introduce la parte más incómoda de su material tratándola como sistema de reglas, que es lo que le permite comparar países.

«Among the witches there appears to have been a definite rule that no girl under puberty had sexual intercourse with the Devil.» — la regla de edad, enunciada con el *appears* y sostenida sobre testimonios franceses.

«It is, however, rare to find child-witches in Great Britain, therefore the rules concerning them are difficult to discover.» — declara la asimetría documental que le impide comprobar en Gran Bretaña lo que afirma para Francia.

«Another rule appears to have been that there was no sexual connexion with a pregnant woman.» — la segunda regla del mismo orden, y con la misma cautela.

«Since the days of Reginald Scot it has been the fashion of all those writers who disbelieved in the magical powers of witches to point to the details of the sexual intercourse between the Devil and the witches as proof positive of hysteria and hallucination.» — sitúa a sus adversarios: la lectura histérica del material sexual viene de la tradición escéptica y no del examen del testimonio.

«It is unscientific to disbelieve everything, as Scot does, and it is equally unscientific to label all the phenomena as the imagination of hysterical women.» — su posición de método puesta en una sola línea, y con las dos negaciones simétricas.

«By the nature of things the whole of this evidence rests only on the word of the women, but I have shown above (pp. 63-5) that there were cases in which the men found the Devil cold, and cases in which the women found other parts of the Devil's person to be cold also.» — reconoce que el grueso del testimonio es de un solo lado y busca el contraste en los declarantes varones.

«Such a mass of evidence cannot be ignored, and in any other subject would obtain credence at once.» — el reproche de doble rasero que recorre el libro: el mismo volumen de testimonio se admitiría en cualquier otro asunto.

«Students of comparative and primitive religion have explained the custom of sacred marriages as an attempt to influence the course of nature by magic, the people who practise the rite believing that thereby all crops and herds as well as the women were rendered fertile, and that barrenness was averted.» — el marco prestado con que interpreta el rito sexual: el matrimonio sagrado de la religión comparada.

«I offer here an explanation which I believe to be the true one, for it accounts for all the facts; those facts which the women confessed voluntarily and without torture or fear of punishment, like Isobel Gowdie, or adhered to as the truth even at the stake amid the flames, like Jane Bosdeau.» — habla en primera persona y con la apuesta a la vista; lo que la sostiene es, otra vez, la confesión voluntaria y la muerte sin retractación.

«The obvious solution of the problem is that the intercourse between the Chief and the women was by artificial means, and the evidence in the trials points clearly to this solution.» — la explicación material del frío, el dolor y el número: un falo artificial. Es su solución más conocida y también la que más se cita sin su base.

«Unless the phallus itself were the object of adoration there would be no reason to carry it in procession as a religious ceremony, and it is easily understandable that such a cult would commend itself chiefly to women.» — el paso que va del objeto ritual antiguo a su hipótesis, apoyado en las procesiones fálicas documentadas.

«The same custom remained in other parts of the world as the jus primae noctis, which was held as an inalienable right by certain kings and other divine personages.» — enlaza el rito con el derecho de pernada como resto del mismo complejo de personaje divino y fecundidad.

«The artificial phallus will account as nothing else can for the pain suffered by many of the women; and that they suffered voluntarily, and even gladly, can only be understood by realizing that they endured it for motives other than physical satisfaction and pleasure.» — cierra el argumento por el lado del dolor: si dolía y aun así se buscaba, el motivo tenía que ser religioso.

«The physical coldness of the Devil is vouched for in all parts of Europe.» — la constante que le da fuerza al argumento: el mismo detalle en jurisdicciones que no se comunicaban entre sí.

«The witches' habit of speaking of every person of the other sex with whom they had sexual intercourse at the Sabbath as a 'devil' has led to much confusion in the accounts.» — desenreda el término que más estorba en sus fuentes: en boca de las declarantes *devil* podía nombrar a cualquier compañero, no sólo al jefe.

«The confusion has been accentuated by the fact that both male and female witches often used a disguise, or were at least veiled.» — y añade la razón práctica de la confusión: si todos iban tapados, ni las propias declarantes sabían con quién habían estado.

«Such connexions sometimes resulted in marriage.» — el dato de organización social que saca del material sexual: había matrimonios celebrados dentro del culto.

«On the other hand, the female generative organs were also adored, and presumably by men. This suggestion is borne out by the figures of women with the pudenda exposed and often exaggerated in size.» — en nota, la contraparte femenina del culto fálico, apoyada en las figuras exhibicionistas y marcada como sugerencia.

«The remembrance of the numerous male devils at the Sabbath survives in the Samalsain dance in the Basses-Pyrénées, where the male attendants on the King and Queen of the dance are still called Satans.» — en nota, un resto vivo de su reconstrucción: en el baile pirenaico los acompañantes de los reyes de la fiesta siguen llamándose satanes.

«The cult was organized in as careful a manner as any other religious community; each district however was independent, and therefore Mather is justified in saying that the witches 'form themselves after the manner of Congregational Churches'.» — el modelo congregacional dicho por ella con su fuente a la vista: la frase es de Cotton Mather y lo que ella aporta es el porqué, la independencia de cada distrito.

«At the Esbats the officer appears to have taken command in the absence of the Grand Master; at the Sabbaths the officers were merely heads of their own Covens, and were known as Devils or Spirits, though recognized as greatly inferior to the Chief.» — la cadena de mando en dos niveles, y de paso la explicación de que en las actas haya tantos diablos: el título bajaba a los jefes locales.

«The principal officer acted as clerk at the Sabbath and entered the witches' reports in his book; if he were a priest or ordained minister, he often performed part of the religious service; but the Devil himself always celebrated the mass or sacrament.» — el reparto de funciones litúrgicas, con una reserva que ella marca: el oficio central no se delegaba.

«One duty seems to have been delegated to a particular individual, who might perhaps hold no other office, or who might, on the other hand, be the chief official; this was the manager, often the leader, of the dance.» — el cargo de director de la danza, tratado como oficio y no como papel improvisado.

«As pace seems to have been an essential in the dance, the leader was necessarily active and generally young.» — deduce la edad del cargo de la exigencia física, que es de sus inferencias más modestas y mejor apoyadas.

«The Devil's piper was also an official appointment in Scotland, but does not occur elsewhere.» — un cargo que localiza en una sola región y no exporta al resto de su reconstrucción.

«The Queen of the Sabbath may perhaps be considered as an official during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, though in early times she was probably the chief personage in the cult, as Pearson has pointed out.» — la figura femenina principal, y la doble cautela: en los procesos es una funcionaria, y su primacía antigua la atribuye a Pearson, no a sí misma.

«It is not unlikely that she was originally the same as the Queen of Elfhame; in Scotland, however, in the seventeenth century, there is a Maiden of the Coven, which was an important position in the Esbat but entirely distinct from the Queen of Faery, while in other places a woman, not the Queen, is often the officer and holds the highest place after the Grand Master.» — sugiere la identificación con la Reina de Elfhame y en la misma frase separa los dos cargos escoceses que no deben confundirse.

«Isobel Gowdie's confession (1662) shows that the Queen of Elthame was not the same as the chief woman of the Coven, for she saw the Queen only on going into the fairy-howe, while the Maiden of the Coven was at each meeting.» — y sostiene la distinción con un dato de frecuencia: a una se la veía en cada reunión, a la otra sólo al entrar en el túmulo.

«The special meaning of the word among the witches is a 'band' or 'company', who were set apart for the practice of the rites of the religion and for the performance of magical ceremonies; in short, a kind of priesthood.» — la definición de aquelarre que pasará a toda la tradición posterior: no la congregación entera, sino un cuerpo apartado, que ella llama sacerdocio.

«The Coven was composed of men and women, belonging to one district, though not necessarily all from one village, and was ruled by an officer under the command of the Grand Master.» — la composición del grupo: mixto, de ámbito comarcal y con un oficial al frente subordinado al jefe.

«The 'fixed number' among the witches of Great Britain seems to have been thirteen: twelve witches and their officer.» — el aquelarre de trece en su formulación original, y conviene leerla con el freno puesto: *seems to have been*, y limitado a Gran Bretaña. La cifra la reconstruye contando nombres en las actas.

«The great trial of the Lancashire witches in 1613 gives a grand total of fifty-two witches, or four Covens, whose names occur in the record.» — cómo obtiene la cifra: cuenta los nombres de un proceso y los divide, con lo que el trece sale de una aritmética y no de una doctrina.

«The position of the Devil as the instructor of the witches is to be found in most of the trials in Great Britain.» — la función del jefe que más le interesa después de la ritual: enseñaba un oficio, y por eso trata la magia como saber transmitido.

«It was the Devil who pointed out which graves were to be opened in order to obtain the material for working magic; and when the bodies had been exhumed and dismembered, he told the witches how to use the fragments.» — la dirección técnica del jefe llevada al detalle más crudo del material, la exhumación.

«It was the Devil who held the mock plough at Auldearne, and taught the witches of that place all the charms they knew.» — el arado simulado, que es de las escenas que ella pone en el centro de su lectura agraria del culto.

«The book in which the magical recipes were recorded must have been of great value to its owner, and one which he would not willingly allow to pass out of his hands.» — trata el libro del culto como objeto material con dueño y custodia, no como grimorio legendario.

«reporting everything to the Chief of the community makes it certain that he was supplied with such current information as made his knowledge of public and private affairs appear miraculous to the uninitiated.» — la explicación de la omnisciencia del Maestro que su reconstrucción exige: una red de informantes obligados a rendir cuentas.

«Even those who supplied that information had firm faith in his supernatural power to kill or cure, and believed with equal ardour in the charms which he taught them to make and use.» — el matiz que impide leerla como denuncia de un fraude: quienes le pasaban la información creían igual en su poder.

«In reviewing the evidence it seems clear that the witches of the Covens were bound to exercise their powers in the intervals between the meetings; they were bound to attend those meetings, unless absolutely prevented, in order to learn new methods as well as to» — la obligación de practicar y de asistir, que es lo que convierte al grupo en cuerpo con deberes y no en reunión ocasional.

«Occasionally the witches kept discipline among themselves; this seems to have been the case only when the culprit prevented the proper execution of magical performances.» — la disciplina horizontal, acotada a un solo motivo: estorbar el trabajo del grupo.

«Capital punishment was reserved for traitors, actual and potential. It must have been brought into use only after the cult had fallen upon evil days, and then only when the Chief himself was in danger.» — data la violencia interna como fenómeno tardío y defensivo, no como rasgo del culto.

«cannot be certain without reference to the records of the trial itself, as Mather's bias is apt to distort the evidence:» — descuenta expresamente a Cotton Mather antes de citarlo, y remite al expediente original; es la misma cautela que aplica a Scot y a Boguet.

«A similar fate befell the warlock Playfair in 1597. He was found strangled in his prison at Dalkeith with the 'point' of his breeches tied round his neck.» — la serie de muertes en prisión que reúne, y que ella no atribuye al suicidio sino al silenciamiento de testigos peligrosos.

«The question of familiars is one which has always puzzled the student of witch-trials, and almost more than any other has been the cause of the belief that hysteria and hallucination were the foundation of the witches' confessions.» — sitúa el problema antes de resolverlo: el familiar es el material que más ha empujado a leer los procesos como delirio.

«Yet when the accounts are carefully examined, the circumstantial detail given in the evidence shows that here, as elsewhere, a foundation of fact underlies the statements of the accused.» — su respuesta, y el criterio con que la sostiene: el detalle circunstancial, que es lo que no suele inventarse.

«These statements are often misunderstood and therefore misrepresented by the recorders, and still more so by the modern commentator, but by comparison of the details a considerable amount of information can be gained.» — reparte la culpa del malentendido entre el escribano de época y el comentarista moderno, y propone la comparación de detalles como remedio.

«The familiars can be divided into two types: (1) those by which the witch divined, (2) those who attended on the witch to obey her commands.» — la distinción que ordena el capítulo: el familiar adivinatorio y el doméstico, que en las actas van revueltos.

«The essence of this familiar is that it did not belong to the witch but was an animal which appeared accidentally after the performance of certain magical ceremonies.» — lo que define al familiar adivinatorio: no es una mascota, es un animal cualquiera cuya aparición se lee como signo.

«From this statement and from the facts revealed in the trials it would seem that the Devil appointed to the witch, on her admission, some kind of animal or animals by which she should divine, and which therefore represented himself for the time being, for he claimed the power, as God, to know and reveal the future.» — su reconstrucción del sistema: al admitir a alguien se le asignaba una especie por la cual leer los presagios, y el animal valía por el jefe.

«The actual method of divination is not preserved; all that remains of the ceremony are the words and gestures which were used before the appearance of the animal, and these only in few cases.» — declara perdido justo el núcleo de la práctica que describe, y precisa cuánto queda: la fórmula previa, y en pocos casos.

«The method of making such observations and of translating them when made was part of the instruction given to the witch by the Devil; and was usually employed to discover whether a person were bewitched, the ultimate result of an illness, and the length of life of any given person.» — para qué servía la adivinación en la práctica: diagnóstico, pronóstico y esperanza de vida, que son consultas de curandería.

«It is not found north of Lancashire, and the chief records are in Essex, Suffolk, and the other Eastern counties.» — el familiar doméstico tiene, según ella, un área estrecha y declarada, y es de los rasgos que se niega a generalizar a toda Gran Bretaña.

«The domestic familiar was always a small animal, was fed in a special manner on bread and milk and blood, and was kept, as Forbes points out, in a box or earthen pot on a bed of wool.» — la descripción material del familiar doméstico, con recipiente, lecho de lana y régimen de alimentación.

«In the earlier trials the witches confessed to pricking the hands or face and giving the resulting drop or drops of blood to the familiar.» — cómo se alimentaba con sangre en los procesos tempranos, antes de que la marca y el pezón supernumerario ocuparan el lugar.

«There seem to have been four methods of obtaining familiars: 1, by gift from the Devil; 2, by gift from a fellow-witch; 3, by inheritance; 4, by magical ceremonies.» — la clasificación de las vías de adquisición, que es lo que convierte una masa de anécdotas en un sistema de transmisión.

«As the divining familiar it represented the Devil himself, and the 'responses' received to questions were believed to come from him.» — la función del animal en la adivinación: hacía las veces del jefe ausente, y la respuesta se le atribuía a él.

«perhaps with the idea of a small or miniature Devil, like the Marionette of Silvain Nevillon.» — la etimología funcional que propone para el término inglés *imp*, anclada en el testimonio francés de las marionetas alimentadas con papilla; añade que el familiar unas veces se identificaba con el Diablo y otras no.

«The gift from a fellow-witch was always a domestic familiar, as to the Devil alone belonged the power of appointing a divining familiar; therefore this method of obtaining a familiar is found only» — la regla que separa las dos clases de familiar por quién puede darlos, y con ella explica el reparto geográfico del material.

«This inheritance of a familiar may be compared with the Lapp custom: 'The Laplanders bequeath their Demons as part of their inheritance, which is the reason that one family excels another in this magical art.'» — vuelve al paralelo lapón, ahora para la herencia: el familiar como bien que pasa de madre a hija, no como aparición.

«On the analogy of these two examples, I suggest that in the accounts of familiars offering themselves to the witch, there was, previous to such appearance, some formula of words or some magical action which are not recorded.» — una conjetura suya declarada como tal y construida por analogía con dos casos galeses de hostia guardada: lo que falta en las actas sería el rito previo.

«It is noticeable that in many cases the accused acknowledged that, before the appearance of the animal, they had been 'banning and cursing', in other words, calling on the Devil; the appearance of the animal, after such summons, produced neither surprise nor alarm, and in fact seems to have been regarded as the effect of their words.» — el indicio que sostiene la conjetura: la aparición no sorprendía a nadie porque venía después de una invocación, aunque el acta no la registre como tal.

«The familiars in human form were human beings usually of the sex opposite to that of the witch.» — el tramo del material que reduce a relación entre personas: donde el acta dice familiar en figura humana, ella lee una pareja del culto.

«but the evidence, taken as a whole, suggests that at certain parts of the ritual every individual of the company was known as a Devil.» — la clave con que desenreda la palabra que más confusión le causa en las actas: como a estos familiares también se los llamaba diablos, cuesta distinguirlos del jefe, y su salida es que en ciertos momentos del rito el título lo llevaban todos.

«This suggestion is borne out in the modern survival of an ancient dance in the Basses-Pyrénées, where the dancers to this day are called Satans.» — el apoyo que le busca en el folclore vivo, el mismo baile pirenaico al que remite en nota más atrás.

«The belief that human beings can change themselves, or be changed, into animals carries with it the corollary that wounds received by a person when in the semblance of an animal will remain on the body after the return to human shape.» — el corolario que hace comprobable la creencia, y que en los procesos servía de prueba: la herida del animal aparecía en el cuerpo.

«This belief seems to be connected with the worship of animal-gods or sacred animals, the worshipper being changed into an animal by being invested with the skin of the creature, by the utterance of magical words, by the making of magical gestures, the wearing of a magical object, or the performance of magical ceremonies.» — el marco en que inserta la transformación, con los cinco medios rituales enumerados y ninguno sobrenatural.

«The witches of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries appear to have carried on the tradition of the pre-Christian cults; and the stories of their transformations, when viewed in the light of the ancient examples, are capable of the same explanation.» — el puente que tiende entre el culto antiguo y sus procesos, con el *appear to have* delante.

«In the earlier cults the worshipper, on becoming an animal, changed his outward shape to the eye of faith alone, though his actions and probably his voice proclaimed the transformation.» — cómo entiende la metamorfosis en el culto antiguo: era un cambio reconocido por los creyentes, sostenido por la conducta y la voz.

«At both periods pseudo-science has prevented the unbiassed examination of the material.» — reparte el reproche entre los comentaristas de época y los suyos: la explicación por licantropía y la explicación por histeria estorban igual.

«There are no records extant of the animals held sacred by the early inhabitants of Great Britain, but it is remarkable that the range of the witches' transformations was very limited; cats and hares were the usual animals, occasionally but rarely dogs, mice, crows, rooks, and bees.» — declara primero que le falta el término de comparación y aun así hace valer lo estrecho del repertorio.

«Unless there were some definite meaning underlying the change of shape, there would be no reason to prevent the witches from transforming themselves into animals of any species.» — el argumento de forma, el mismo que empleó con las posiciones de la marca: lo que restringe la elección es una regla, no el azar.

«It would seem then that the witches, like the adorers of animal gods in earlier times, attempted to become one with their god or sacred animal by taking on his form;» — la conclusión religiosa que saca de esa restricción, y la enuncia en condicional.

«The witches themselves admitted that they were masked and veiled, and the evidence of other witnesses goes to prove the same.» — la base documental del disfraz: lo dicen las acusadas y lo confirman terceros.

«Boguet suggests that the disguise was used to hide their identity, which was possibly the case at times, but it seems more probable, judging by the evidence, that the masking and veiling were for ritual purposes.» — discute con su fuente y concede parte: el ocultamiento existió, pero para ella la función principal era ritual.

«In many cases it is very certain that the transformation was ritual and not actual; that is to say the witches did not attempt to change their actual forms but called themselves cats, hares, or other animals.» — la solución del problema entero, y la más económica: la transformación era un acto de habla dentro del rito.

«On the other hand, Jonet Blak and Kathren Renny, who were also present and described the same scene, said nothing about the catform, though they particularize the clothes of the other witches.» — consigna el testimonio que no dice lo que le convendría: dos presentes en la misma escena describen la ropa y no mencionan los gatos.

«The method of making the ritual change by means of magical words is recorded in the Auldearne trials, where Isobel Gowdie, whose evidence was purely voluntary, gives the actual words both for the change into an animal and for the reversion into human form.» — el testimonio del que depende su explicación, y vuelve a marcar lo que lo hace fiable a sus ojos: fue voluntario.

«The very simplicity of the method shows that the transformation was ritual; the witch announced to her fellow that she herself was an animal, a fact which the second witch would not have known otherwise; the second witch at once became a similar animal and went with the first to perform the ritual acts which were to follow.» — el argumento decisivo: si hiciera falta anunciarlo, es que no se veía; y si la otra se transforma al oírlo, la transformación es convención compartida.

«The witches were in their own estimation and in the belief of all their comrades, to whom they communicated the fact, actually animals, though to the uninitiated eye their natural forms remained unchanged.» — el matiz que evita reducirlo a impostura: para quien estaba dentro la transformación era real, y sólo el no iniciado veía a una persona.

«The witches themselves, like their contemporaries, often believed that the actual animals, which they saw, were human beings in animal form.» — el reverso: las propias acusadas tomaban por personas transformadas a los animales que se les cruzaban.

«I would suggest that this is cotes, the well-known provincialism for cats; but the recorder understood the word as colts and further improved it into horses.» — una corrección filológica en tres pasos que muestra su método con las actas: la palabra dialectal, el oído del escribano y el adorno que añade al copiar.

«Imp = A slip, sapling, scion; hence applied to persons with the meaning child, lad, boy.» — en nota, la etimología del término inglés que sostiene su lectura del familiar como criatura pequeña y no como demonio.

«Nothing, however, is known of the religious beliefs and cults of these early peoples, except the fact that every seven years they made a human sacrifice to their god—'And aye at every seven years they pay the teind to hell'—and that like the Khonds they stole children from the neighbouring races and brought them up to be the victims.» — abre el apéndice de las hadas declarando que no se sabe nada de la religión de esa raza, y acto seguido da por hecho el sacrificio septenal apoyada en un verso de balada. Es su pasaje más frágil y conviene verlo entero.

«I suggest that the cult of the fairy or primitive race survived until less than three hundred years ago, and that the people who practised it were known as witches.» — la tesis del apéndice, dicha en primera persona y como sugerencia: las brujas serían los últimos practicantes del culto de la raza primitiva. Es la misma identificación que en la introducción llamó poco más que especulación.

«The Devil and the witches entered freely into the fairy mounds, the Devil is often spoken of as a fairy man, and he consorts with the Queen of Elfhame;» — los enganches del material que le sirven de apoyo: túmulos, el título de hombre feérico y la relación con la Reina de Elfhame.

«The other name for the fairy Robin Goodfellow is Puck, which derives through the Gaelic Bouca from the Slavic Bog, which means God.» — una etimología encadenada y sin freno, que sostiene que el nombre del duende inglés viene de la palabra eslava para dios.

«The evidence given below shows the close connexion between the fairies and the witches, and shows also the witches' belief in the superiority of the fairies to themselves in the matter of magic and healing powers.» — lo que dice probar el dossier del apéndice, y con un matiz que a ella le importa: las acusadas se tenían por inferiores a las hadas.

«The lists of witch-names bring to light several facts as regards the women.» — abre el apéndice onomástico anunciando que del listado de nombres se sigue algo, y lo que sigue es su argumento más lateral y más audaz.

«One of these is the entire absence of Saxon names, such as Gertrude, Edith, Hilda;» — el primer hueco que señala en la lista, y del que hará indicio de una población anterior a la sajona.

«Old Testament names are so few in number as to be negligible;» — el segundo hueco, que le sirve contra la idea de un cristianismo bien asentado entre esa gente.

«I would point out (1) that there was a British goddess called Anna, which may account not only for all the forms of Ann but also for the terminations in Alison and Marion;» — su conjetura onomástica principal, marcada como sugerencia y con un *may account*: los nombres más frecuentes vendrían de una diosa británica.

«there is at present nothing to prove that Isobel is a variant of Elizabeth—it is quite possible that Isobel was the original name and that the missionaries 'Christianized' it as Elizabeth;» — invierte la derivación recibida y lo dice como posibilidad: no sería Isobel una deformación de Elizabeth, sino al revés.

«If Christianity had obtained the hold on the people which the ecclesiastical writers would have us believe, the name Mary should surely have been the most common, but it hardly occurs in Great Britain before 1645, while Marion is hardly used after that date.» — el argumento de fechas con que apoya su tesis de continuidad: el nombre de la Virgen aparece tarde, cuando el otro ya desaparece.

«As regards the name Joan I can offer no explanations or suggestions.» — otra abstención declarada, y sobre el nombre más frecuente de toda su lista.

«In the lists the names are arranged without regard to local differences of spelling.» — declara la normalización que ha hecho sobre las grafías, que es justo lo que su propio argumento onomástico pone en juego.

«But hitherto the anthropological aspect has been disregarded.» — el hueco que dice venir a llenar en el estudio de Juana de Arco y de Gilles de Rais: no la biografía ni la teología, la antropología.

«This is largely due to the fact that these intensive studies have been made of each person separately, whereas to obtain the true perspective the two should be taken together.» — su propuesta de método para el apéndice: los dos casos se explican juntos y no por separado, pese a lo opuesto de sus figuras.

«Though agreeing with the view that Joan was the rallyingpoint of a great and powerful organization, I see in that organization the underlying religion which permeated the lower orders of the people in France as in England; that religion which I have set forth in the foregoing chapters.» — dice de quién se separa y en qué: acepta con Anatole France que detrás de Juana hubo una organización, pero la identifica con su culto. La palabra *rallyingpoint* viene unida en la capa de texto.

«Such action can hardly be explained had Joan been an ordinary heretic or an ordinary political prisoner.» — el hecho que le pide explicación: la campaña de cartas con que las autoridades justificaron la ejecución ante media Europa.

«But if she were in the eyes of the great mass of the population not merely a religious leader but actually the incarnate God, then it was only natural for the authorities, who had compassed her death, to shelter themselves behind the bulwark of their zeal for the Christian religion, and to explain to the heads of that religion their reasons for the execution.» — su hipótesis, enunciada en condicional: Juana como dios encarnado a ojos del pueblo, lo que explicaría el afán de justificarse de sus jueces.

«On the other hand, the belief that Joan was God Incarnate will account, as nothing else can, for the extraordinary supineness of the French, who never lifted a finger to ransom or rescue Joan from the hands of either the Burgundians or the English.» — el segundo hecho que quiere explicar, y el más difícil: que nadie de su bando intentara rescatarla.

«In comparing the facts elicited at the trial with the Dianic Cult as set out in the previous chapters, the coincidences are too numerous to be merely accidental.» — su forma de prueba en todo el apéndice: la acumulación de coincidencias, no un documento decisivo.

«The questions put to Joan on the subject of fairies appear to the modern reader to be entirely irrelevant, though much importance was evidently attached to her answers by the Court.» — el argumento de mayor peso del apéndice: los jueces preguntaron largamente por las hadas, lo que sólo tiene sentido si buscaban otra cosa que herejía.

«The names of Christian saints, given to the persons whom Joan called her 'Voices', have misled modern writers; but the questions showered upon her show that the judges had shrewd suspicions as to the identity of these persons.» — sostiene que los nombres de santos son una capa puesta encima, y que el tribunal no se la creía.

«That the 'Voices' were human beings is very clear from Joan's own testimony:» — la afirmación más fuerte del apéndice, y la apoya en las palabras de la propia Juana: otros de su bando habían visto y conocido la Voz.

«The person whom she called 'St. Katherine' was obviously in the castle and able to communicate with the prisoner: this was not difficult, for the evidence shows that there was a concealed opening between Joan's room and the next.» — el dato material con que sostiene lo anterior: una abertura disimulada entre la celda y la habitación contigua.

«A remark of Joan's that 'she often saw them [the Voices] among the Christians, they themselves unseen', is noteworthy for the use of the word Christian, suggesting that the 'Voices' were of a different religion.» — una lectura apoyada en una sola palabra del acta, y ella la enuncia como sugerencia.

«Even the severest of sumptuary laws has never made the wearing of male dress by a woman a capital crime; yet, though Joan had recanted and been received into the Church, the moment that she put on male attire she was doomed on that account only.» — la desproporción jurídica que quiere explicar: la ropa de hombre no era delito capital y bastó para condenarla.

«If, as I suppose, she were a member of the Dianic Cult, the wearing of male attire must have been, for her, an outward sign of that faith, and the resuming of it indicated the relapse; the inscription on the high cap, which she wore at her execution, shows that the judges at least held this opinion.» — su explicación, con el *as I suppose* dentro: la ropa como signo exterior de pertenencia, y la reincidencia como vuelta a la fe.

«Another point to be noted is her answer that she learned the Paternoster, Ave Maria, and Credo from her mother, thus proving that she was not of a witch-family.» — consigna el dato que va contra su propia hipótesis: por el criterio de la época, la crianza de Juana la excluía de una familia del culto.

«At the same time, however, Joan refused to say the Paternoster except in confession, when the priest's lips would have been sealed if she had proved herself not to be a Christian.» — y a continuación el dato que la reequilibra, con la explicación del secreto de confesión puesta por ella.

«These coincidences may be small, but there are too many of them to be ignored.» — el resumen de su forma de prueba, dicho con el reconocimiento de que cada pieza por separado pesa poco.

«The name Tiphaine appears to come from the same root as Fein, Finn, and Fian, all of which meant 'fairy' in Great Britain, and probably in Brittany as well.» — la etimología con que enlaza a los antepasados de Gilles de Rais con las hadas, y de la que depende todo el argumento que sigue.

«There is therefore a strong suggestion of a strain of fairy blood, and with that blood there may also have descended to Gilles many of the beliefs and customs of the dwarf race.» — el paso siguiente, doblemente acotado —*suggestion*, *may*—: sangre feérica y, con ella, creencias heredadas.

«But if he regarded her as the destined victim, chosen and set apart for death, as required by the religion to which both he and she belonged, he could do nothing but remain inactive and let her fate be consummated.» — su explicación de que el mariscal no moviera un dedo por Juana: no cobardía ni cálculo, obligación ritual.

«The extraordinary prodigality and extravagance of Gilles may have been due, as is usually suggested, to profligacy or to madness, but it may equally well have been that he took seriously the belief that as the Incarnate God—or at any rate as a candidate for that honour—he must give to all who asked.» — pone su explicación al lado de la recibida sin descartar aquélla, que es su manera más honesta de proponer.

«He could not decide to which religion he would belong, the old or the new, and his life was one long struggle.» — el retrato que hace de Gilles: no un apóstata sino un hombre a caballo entre dos cultos, que es la misma figura que aplica a los reyes sajones del capítulo I.

«He announced that he had always been a Christian, which may be taken to mean that there was some doubt as to whether he was not a heathen.» — una inferencia a partir de una declaración defensiva: si tuvo que afirmarlo, es que se dudaba.

«His action in this may be compared with that of Major Weir in 1670, who also was executed on his own voluntary confession of witchcraft and crime.» — el paralelo que traba el apéndice con el cuerpo del libro: la confesión voluntaria que lleva a la hoguera sin que nadie la arranque.

«On the spot where Gilles was executed his daughter erected a monument, to which came all nursing mothers to pray for an abundance of milk.» — el detalle con que cierra su lectura de fertilidad: en el lugar de la ejecución se pedía leche, que es lo que se pide a un dios agrario.

«An intensive study of this period might reveal the witch organization at the royal Court and possibly even the Grand-master to whom Joan owed allegiance, the 'God' who sent her.» — cierra el apéndice con un programa de investigación y no con una conclusión; el condicional es suyo.

«A witch is a person who hath conference with the Devil, to consult with him or to do some act» — la definición jurídica de la época que ella recoge, de un tratado inglés; voz de su fuente, no suya.

«in the same temple had an altar to sacrifice to Christ, and another small one to offer victims to devils» — de Beda sobre Redwald, rey de los Sajones del Este, citado por ella como prueba del culto doble.

«le sabbat estoit le vray Paradis, où il y a beaucoup plus de plaisir qu'on ne peut exprimer» — de un testimonio francés que ella transcribe: el sabbat era el verdadero Paraíso, con más placer del que puede expresarse.

«Cook's comment on the Greek ritual applies quite as well to Western as to Eastern Europe: 'We may venture on the general statement that within the bounds of Hellenic mythology animalmetamorphosis commonly points to a preceding animal cult.'» — se apoya en A. B. Cook, helenista, para trasladar a Europa occidental una regla dicha de la mitología griega: donde hay relatos de metamorfosis animal hubo antes culto animal. La palabra *animalmetamorphosis* viene pegada en la capa de texto; en el impreso son dos.

«4th cent. Dionysius says that in islands near Jersey and Guernsey the rites of Bacchus were performed by the women, crowned with leaves; they danced and made an even greater shouting than the Thracians.» — de los testimonios clásicos que alinea al abrir su serie de continuidad; la fecha y el resumen son de ella, el dato es de Dionisio.

«If anyone at the kalends of January goes about as a stag or a bull; that is, making himself into a wild animal and dressing in the skin of a herd animal, and putting on the heads of beasts; those who in such wise transform themselves into the appearance of a wild animal, penance for three years because this is devilish.» — del penitencial que reproduce entre las leyes eclesiásticas: la pieza con que sostiene que el disfraz animal era práctica real y perseguida, no fantasía de los jueces.

«'If then anyone be found that shall henceforth practise any heathenship, either by sacrifice or by "fyrt", or in any way love witchcraft, or worship idols, if he be a king's thane, let him pay X half-marks; half to Christ, half to the king. We are all to love and worship one God, and strictly hold one Christianity, and totally renounce all heathenship.'» — de los códigos anglosajones que transcribe en serie: el paganismo se tarifa como delito con multa graduada por rango, que para ella indica que seguía practicándose.

«'We have ordained respecting witchcrafts, and lyblacs, and morthdaeds: if anyone should be thereby killed, and he could not deny it, that he be liable in his life. But if he will deny it, and at the threefold ordeal shall be guilty; that he be cxx days in prison.'» — otra de las leyes anglosajonas de su serie; la reproduce con sus términos sin traducir —*lyblac*, *morthdaed*—, que es como los cita el editor del que los toma.

«'We enjoin, that every priest zealously promote Christianity, and totally extinguish every heathenism; and forbid well worshipings, and necromancies, and divinations, and enchantments, and man worshipings, and the vain practices which are carried on with various spells, and with "frithsplots", [15] and with elders, and also with various other trees, and with stones, and with many various delusions, with which men do much of what they should not.—And we enjoin, that every Christian man zealously accustom his children to Christianity, and teach them the Paternoster and the Creed. And we enjoin, that on feast days heathen songs and devil's games be abstained from.'» — el mandato eclesiástico más detallado de su serie: la lista misma de prohibiciones —pozos, árboles, piedras, canciones— es lo que ella lee como inventario de un culto vivo.

«And that they held to their god as firmly as those de Lancre put to death is equally evident in view of the North Berwick witches,» — traba en una sola frase el material francés de De Lancre y el proceso escocés de North Berwick; el paso de uno a otro es suyo, no de las fuentes.

«Bodin says, 'Il y en a d'autres, ausquelles Satan promet qu'elles seront bien heureuses apres cette vie, qui empesche qu'elles ne se repentent, & meurent obstinees en leur mechanceté'.» — de Bodin, demonólogo del siglo XVI, sobre las que mueren sin arrepentirse porque esperan la dicha prometida; ella lo levanta como testimonio de la fe de las acusadas, invirtiendo lo que Bodin quería probar.

«Danaeus, writing in 1575, says, 'The Diuell com̃aundeth them that they shall acknowledge him for their god, cal vpõ him, pray to him, and trust in him.—Then doe they all repeate the othe which they haue geuen vnto him; in acknowledging him to be their God.'» — de Danaeus, demonólogo, citado por ella como testigo de que quien perseguía el culto ya describía una adoración con juramento; la grafía con tildes de abreviatura es la de la capa de texto.

«'Grand Seigneur, lequel i'adore', and when the child was old enough to join the society she made her vow in these words: 'Ie me remets de tout poinct en ton pouuoir & entre tes mains, ne recognois autre Dieu: si bien que tu es mon Dieu'.» — la fórmula de voto que De Lancre consignó en las Basses-Pyrénées y que ella reproduce como texto litúrgico del culto: no reconocer otro Dios que él.

«Isobel Gowdie confessed that 'he maid vs beliew that ther wes no God besyd him.—We get all this power from the Divell, and when ve seik it from him, ve call him "owr Lord".» — de la confesión de Isobel Gowdie, Auldearne 1662, la declarante de la que más páginas toma en todo el libro.

«At Crighton, 1678, the Devil himself preached to the witches, 'and most blasphemously mocked them, if they offered to trust in God who left them miserable in the world, and neither he nor his Son Jesus Christ ever appeared to them when they called on them, as he had, who would not cheat them'.» — del acta de Crighton: un sermón en que el Maestro argumenta contra el Dios cristiano por ausente, y que ella toma como prueba de que el culto tenía predicación propia.

«Even in America, 1692, Mary Osgood, the wife of Capt. Osgood, declared that 'the devil told her he was her God, and that she should serve and worship him'.» — de las actas de Massachusetts; le sirve para llevar hasta Nueva Inglaterra la misma fórmula que documenta en Escocia y en Francia.

«Barbara Napier deposed that 'the devil wess with them in likeness of ane black man ... the devil start up in the pulpit, like a mickle blak man, with ane black beard sticking out like ane goat's beard, clad in ane blak tatie [tattered] gown and ane ewill favoured scull bonnet on his heid; hauing ane black book in his hand'.» — de la declaración de Barbara Napier en el proceso de North Berwick; el púlpito, la barba postiza y el libro negro son los detalles con que ella arma su lectura de la escena como ceremonia dirigida por un hombre.

«but Melville, who probably heard her evidence, puts it more dramatically: 'The deuell wes cled in ane blak gown with ane blak hat vpon his head.... His faice was terrible, his noise lyk the bek of ane egle, gret bournyng eyn; his handis and leggis wer herry, with clawes vpon his handis, and feit lyk the griffon.'» — pone al lado los dos registros del mismo testimonio y marca cuál exagera; el cotejo es suyo, y es de las pocas veces en que descuenta un adorno de sus fuentes.

«Jonet Rendall of Orkney, 1629, saw him 'claid in quhyt cloathis, with ane quhyt head and ane gray beard'.» — de las actas de Orkney; la incluye en la serie de apariciones vestidas de blanco, que rompe el estereotipo del hombre de negro.

«Margaret Lowis declaires that about Elevin years ago a man whom she thought to be ane Englishman that cured diseases in the countrey called [blank] Webb appeared to her in her own house and gave her a drink and told her that she would have children after the taking of that drink» — un testimonio en que el Diablo es, sin más, un curandero inglés apellidado Webb; para ella es la clase de dato que confirma que se trataba de personas identificables. El hueco entre corchetes está en la fuente.

«In Ireland one of the earliest known trials for ritual witchcraft occurred in 1324, the accused being the Lady Alice Kyteler. She was said to have met the Devil, who was called Robin son of Artis,» — el proceso irlandés más antiguo de su serie; el nombre Robin le importa porque lo hará nombre genérico del Maestro en el Apéndice I.

«She persisted to the end in her statement, which she made on oath, that God appeared to her in human form and spoke to her as friend to friend, and that the last time she had seen him he was clothed in a scarlet cap and a long white robe.» — de Pierronne, seguidora de Juana de Arco quemada en 1430: sostuvo bajo juramento haber visto a Dios en forma humana y vestido de rojo y blanco. Es la pieza con la que enlaza el culto y el caso de Juana, que trata en el Apéndice IV.

«Jeanne d'Abadie, in the Basses-Pyrénées, 1609, 'dit qu'elle y vid le Diable en forme d'homme noir & hideux, auec six cornes en la teste, parfois huict'.» — de las actas que levantó De Lancre; el número variable de cuernos es de los detalles que ella lee como tocado y no como cuerpo.

«In Sweden in 1670 the Devil came 'in a gray Coat, and red and blue Stockings, he had a red Beard, a high-crown'd Hat, with Linnen of divers colours wrapt about, and long Garters upon his Stockings'.» — del proceso sueco de Blockula; la trae para mostrar que fuera de Gran Bretaña el Maestro se describe igual, vestido y con sombrero.

«Thom said, That was the Quene of Elfame his maistres, quha had commandit him to wait vpoun hir, and to do hir gude.» — del proceso de Bessie Dunlop, 1576: su espíritu Thom Reid declara servir a la Reina de Elfame, con lo que la jerarquía feérica y la del culto quedan superpuestas en la misma acta.

«Thow affermis that the quene is verray plesand, and wilbe auld and young quhen scho pleissis; scho mackis any kyng quhom scho pleisis, and lyis with any scho lykis'.» — del proceso de Aberdeen: la Reina que envejece y rejuvenece a voluntad y hace rey a quien quiere. Es el pasaje con el que ella traba la figura feérica y la jefa del culto.

«Another Aberdeen witch, Marion Grant, was accused in the same year and confessed, 'that the Devill, thy maister, quhome thow termes Christsonday, causit the dans sindrie tymes with him and with Our Ladye, quha, as thow sayes, was a fine woman, cled in a» — de las actas de Aberdeen, 1596: el Maestro llamado Christsonday y una figura femenina llamada Our Ladye. El pasaje se corta al final de la plana.

«At the witch-mass the worshippers 'luy baisent la main gauche, tremblans auec mille angoisses, & luy offrent du pain, des œufs, & de l'argent: & la Royne du Sabbat les reçoit, laquelle est assise à son costé gauche, & en sa main gauche elle tient vne paix ou platine, dans laquelle est grauée l'effigie de Lucifer, laquelle on ne baise qu'après l'auoir» — de De Lancre: la Reina del Sabbat sentada a la izquierda y recibiendo pan, huevos y dinero. Ella lo trae como descripción de un oficio con dos celebrantes, no de un desorden.

«In 1618 at Leicester Joan Willimott 'saith, that shee hath a Spirit which shee calleth Pretty, which was giuen vnto her by William Berry of Langholme in Rutlandshire, whom she serued three yeares; and that her Master when» — del proceso de Leicester: un espíritu recibido de manos de un hombre con nombre y domicilio, que para ella es el jefe local entregando el familiar.

«When she keeped a school at Dalkeith, and teached childering, ane tall woman came to the declarants hous when the childering were there; and that she had, as appeared to her, ane chyld upon her back, and on or two at her foot; and that the said woman desyred that the declarant should imploy her to spick for her to the Queen of Farie, and strik and battle in her behalf with the said Queen (which was her own words).» — de la declaración de Jean Weir, hermana del Mayor Weir, 1670: la intermediaria que se ofrece a hablar y a pelear ante la Reina de Farie.

«At Salem also the account given by the witches of the Rev. George Burroughs points to his filling the office of 'Devil', for he was 'Head Actor at some of their Hellish Randezvouses, and one who had the promise of being a King in Satan's kingdom.» — de las actas de Salem sobre el reverendo George Burroughs; ella lee el papel de actor principal como el cargo, no como una metáfora del acusador.

«In the reign of Elizabeth, 1584, there is a list of eighty-seven suspected persons, among whom occur the names of 'Ould Birtles the great devil, Roger Birtles and his wife and Anne Birtles, Darnally the sorcerer, the oulde witche of Ramsbury, Maud Twogood Enchantress, Mother Gillian witch' and several other 'oulde witches'.» — de una lista isabelina de sospechosos donde el apodo *the great devil* va pegado al nombre de un vecino; para ella es la prueba onomástica de que el título designaba a una persona.

«Agnes Sampsoune proponit the distructioune of his hienes persoune, saying to the Dewill, 'We haif ane turne ado, and we would fain be att itt gif we could, and thairfore help ws to itt'» — del acta de North Berwick: la propuesta de matar al rey dicha al Maestro en tono de encargo entre conocidos, que es el registro que ella subraya.

«The Dewill ansuerit, he sould do quhat he could, bott it wald be lang to, because it wald be thoirterit [thwarted]» — la respuesta del Maestro en la misma acta: hará lo que pueda, pero tardará porque será estorbado. El corchete con la glosa del escocés viene del editor que ella copia.

«The deuell answerit, 'Il est vn home de Dieu'.» — la frase más citada del proceso de North Berwick: preguntado por qué el rey se le resistía, el Maestro responde en francés que es un hombre de Dios. Ella la recoge como dicha por una persona presente.

«Item, indyttit and accusit, of the conventicle had att North Berwick Kirk, tuentie dayes before Michelmas, 1590; and thair inquyring for the Kings pictour, gewin by Annie Sampsoun to the Dewill, to be inchantit, for the tressonabill distructioun of the King.» — del pliego de cargos contra Euphemia McCalyan; la palabra *conventicle* y la fecha fija son los datos que ella usa para tratar la reunión como asamblea regular del culto.

«James's own opinion of the matter is shown in his speech to his Parliament in 1592, when he denounced Bothwell as an aspirant to the throne, although he was 'but a bastard, and could claim no title to the crown'.» — del discurso de Jacobo VI ante su Parlamento; ella lo cita para mostrar que el propio rey veía en Bothwell un pretendiente, y acto seguido le corrige el punto genealógico.

«The Lorraine witches in 1589 said that the Devils 'können nimmermehr die Menschliche Stimme so aussdrücklich nachreden, dass man nicht leicht daran mercke, dass es eine gemachte falsche Stimme sey.» — de las actas de Lorena en alemán: la voz del Maestro se notaba fingida. Es de sus pruebas indirectas de la máscara.

«The North Berwick Devil in 1590 was purposely disguised out of all recognition: 'The Devil start up in the pulpit, like a mickle black man, with a black beard sticking out like a goat's beard; and a high ribbed nose, falling down sharp like the beak of a hawk; with a long rumpill' [tail].» — el mismo retrato de North Berwick, ahora leído pieza por pieza como vestuario: barba postiza, nariz de rapaz y cola. La restitución entre corchetes es del editor.

«In the other case 'le diable estoit en forme de bouc, ayant vne queue, & audessoubs vn visage d'homme noir ... & n'a parole par ce visage de derriere.» — del testimonio francés que le da la pieza clave: un segundo rostro bajo la cola, y que ese rostro no hablaba.

«The Devil of the Basses-Pyrénées evidently wore a mask over the face, for he had 'la voix effroyable & sans ton, quand il parle on diroit que cest vn mullet qui se met à braire, il a la voix casse, la parole malarticulee, & peu intelligible, parcequ'il a tousiours la voix triste & enroüee'.» — de las actas de De Lancre: voz sin tono, rota y mal articulada. Ella la lee como el efecto de hablar tras una careta.

«In 1590, at North Berwick, 'he caused all the company to com and kiss his ers, quhilk they said was cauld lyk yce; his body was hard lyk yrn, as they thocht that handled him'.» — del acta escocesa: frío como hielo y duro como hierro al tacto de quienes lo tocaron. De ahí saca la vestidura de cuero.

«Barthélemy Minguet of Brécy was tried for witchcraft. 'Enquis, comme il a aduis quand le Sabbat se doit tenir. Respond, que c'est le Diable qui luy vient dire estant en forme de chien noir, faict comme vn barbet, parle à luy en ceste forme. Enquis, en quelle forme se met le Diable estant au Sabbat. Respond, qu'il ne l'a iamais veu autrement qu'en forme de barbet noir. Enquis, quelles ceremonies ils obseruent estant au Sabbat. Respond, que le Diable estant en forme de barbet noir (comme dessus est dit) se met tout droit sur les pattes de derriere, les preche'.» — interrogatorio francés reproducido con sus preguntas y respuestas: el perro de aguas negro que se yergue sobre las patas traseras y predica. La forma dialogada del acta es la que ella prefiere transcribir entera.

«The Highland witches in the eighteenth century saw the devil as a dog; he was 'a large black ugly tyke', to whom the witches made obeisance; the dog acknowledged the homage 'by bowing, grinning, and clapping his paws'.» — testimonio tardío de las Highlands; el gesto de responder al homenaje es el detalle que ella retiene como conducta de un hombre dentro del disfraz.

«fields) there to bee worshipped by them, hee instantly turneth himselfe into the forme of a great black Goate, although in all other occasions hee vseth to appeare in the shape of a man.» — del proceso de Aviñón de 1581, en traducción inglesa de época: la cabra sólo para el acto de adoración, hombre en todo lo demás. El pasaje empieza a media frase porque la plana corta ahí.

«In 1613 Anne Chattox declared that the Devil 'came vpon this Examinate in the night time: and at diuerse and sundry times in the likenesse of a Beare,» — de las actas de Lancashire de 1612, en la declaración de Anne Chattox; es uno de los dos únicos casos de oso que reúne.

«In 1589 'es haben die Geister auch etwann Lust sich in Gestalt eines Bären zu erzeigen'.» — el otro caso de oso, de las actas alemanas de Lorena; con dos ejemplos da la forma por rara y no la infla.

«At Forfar in 1661, Jonet Howat was so young that when Isabel Syrie 'presented hir to the divell, the divell said, What shall I do with such a little bairn as she?' He accepted her, however, and she was evidently the pet of the community, the Devil calling her 'his bonny bird'.» — del proceso de Forfar; el diálogo sobre la edad de la niña es, para ella, señal de que quien hablaba era una persona que decidía admisiones.

«The Formula set down by Delrio, is, I deny God Creator of Heaven and Earth, and I adhere to thee, and believe in thee.» — la fórmula de renuncia según Delrio, jurista y demonólogo, tal como la resume Sir George Mackenzie al exponer la ley escocesa.

«The Devil's Mark useth to be a great Article with us, but it is not per se found relevant, except it be confest by them, that they got that Mark with their own consent;» — de Sir George Mackenzie sobre la práctica de los tribunales escoceses: la marca sola no bastaba, hacía falta que la confesaran consentida.

«The order of their bargaine or profession is double; the one solemne and publike; the other secret and priuate.» — de Reginald Scot, escéptico, describiendo la admisión inglesa en dos formas, pública y privada; ella lo usa por su descripción, no por su tesis.

«Forbes says that 'an express Covenant is entred into betwixt a Witch, and the Devil appearing in some visible Shape.» — de Forbes, jurista escocés, sobre el pacto expreso; a ella le importa el detalle de la forma visible, que su lectura convierte en presencia corporal.

«The Devil on his part articles with such Proselytes, concerning the Shape he is to appear to them in, the Services they are to expect from him, upon the Performance of certain Charms or ceremonious Rites.» — del mismo Forbes: que la forma en que aparecerá se pacte de antemano es lo que a ella le confirma que se trataba de un disfraz convenido.

«Little Jonet Howat said that the Devil 'bade her renounce her God, and she answered, Marry, shall I'.» — la respuesta de la niña de Forfar, que ella recoge como muestra de consentimiento dado de buena gana.

«Magdalene de la Croix, Abbess of a religious house in Cordova in 1545, made a contract 'for the space of thirty years', she being then a girl of twelve.» — el caso español de la abadesa de Córdoba, con plazo cerrado; lo trae por la duración pactada, no por el escándalo.

«In Huntingdonshire in 1646 Elizabeth Weed of Great Catworth confessed that 'the Devill then offer'd her, that hee would doe what mischiefe she should require him; and said she must covenant with him that he must have her soule at the end of one and twenty years, which she granted'.» — de las actas de Huntingdonshire, con un plazo de veintiún años; forma parte de la serie con que muestra que el término variaba.

«At Lille in 1661 Madame Bourignon's girls indicate the renewal of the contract: 'The Devil gives them a Mark, which Marks they renew as often as those Persons have any desire to quit him.» — del relato de Antoinette Bourignon sobre las muchachas de Lille: la marca se renovaba cada vez que alguna quería dejarlo.

«The Swedish witches (1669) were also baptized; 'they added, that he caused them to be baptized too by such Priests as he had there, and made them confirm their Baptism with dreadful Oaths and Imprecations.'» — del proceso sueco: el bautismo administrado por sacerdotes propios, que es el detalle con que ella sostiene que había un clero del culto.

«Mary Osgood, wife of Captain Osgood, went 'to five mile pond, where she was baptized by the devil, who dipped her face in the water, and made her renounce her former baptism, and told her she must be his, soul and body for ever, and that she must serve him, which she promised to do.» — de las actas de Massachusetts: bautismo por inmersión en un estanque con nombre y lugar, que ella retiene como rito y no como visión.

«Robert Griersoune being namit, thay ran all hirdie-girdie and wer angrie; for it wes promesit, that he sould be callit "Rot the Comptroller alias Rob the Rowar" for expreming of his name.» — del acta de North Berwick: el alboroto que se armó al nombrar a un miembro por su nombre civil en vez del del culto. Es su prueba de que el nombre nuevo cumplía una función y no era adorno.

«Reginald Scot in 1584 summarizes the evidence in a few words: 'The Diuell giveth to euerie nouice a marke, either with his teeth or with his clawes.'» — de Reginald Scot; ella lee dientes y garras como instrumentos de mano, en la línea de su lectura material de todo el aparato.

«The Lawes against Witches and Conivration, published 'by authority' in 1645, state that 'their said Familiar hath some big or little Teat upon their body, wher he sucketh them: and besides their sucking, the Devil leaveth other markes upon their bodies, sometimes like a Blew-spot, or Red-spot like a flea-biting'.» — de un impreso legal inglés de 1645, que ya distingue el pezón del familiar de las manchas azules o rojas: la misma distinción que ella hará entre marca natural y artificial.

«Delrio calls it Stigma, or Character, and alledges that it is sometimes like the impression of a Hare's foot, or the Foot of a Rat or Spider.» — de Delrio, por vía de Mackenzie: las formas atribuidas a la marca, que ella recoge para mostrar hasta qué punto se la describía como impresa.

«Among the Aberdeen witches in 1597 Andro Man was accused that 'Christsunday [the Devil] bit a mark in the third finger of thy right hand, whilk thou has yet to show'» — del proceso de Aberdeen: la marca seguía visible al tiempo del juicio, que es lo que a ella le importa —una señal permanente en el cuerpo, no una visión—. El corchete aclaratorio es del editor.

«According to Boguet, writing in 1598, the witches of Eastern France were usually marked on the left shoulder, and the mark was in the shape of the foot or footprint of a hare, but he also gives some exceptional cases:» — de Boguet, juez y demonólogo del Franco Condado; la forma de pata de liebre y el hombro izquierdo entran en la serie con que ella sostiene que había un diseño convenido.

«The child-witch, Jonet Howat of Forfar, tried in 1661, said that 'the devil kist hir and niped hir vpon one of hir shoulders, so as shoe hade great paine for some tyme therafter'; later he came to her, and 'calling hir his bony bird did kisse hir, and straiked her shoulder (quhich was niped) with his hand, and that presently after that shoe was eased of hir former paine'.» — el testimonio de la niña de Forfar, con el pellizco doloroso y la caricia que lo alivia después; ella lo retiene por la secuencia material, que se repite en otros procesos.

«Marie Lamont of Innerkip in 1662 confessed voluntarily that 'the devill nipit her upon the right syd, qlk was very painful for a tym, but yairefter he straikit it with his hand, and healed it; this she confesses to be his mark'.» — la misma secuencia en otro proceso escocés, y ella subraya que la confesión fue voluntaria.

«Polythelia occurs in both sexes; according to Bruce, 'of 315 individuals taken indiscriminately and in succession, 7.619 per cent. presented supernumerary nipple; 9.11 per cent. of 207 men examined in succession presented supernumerary nipple; and 4.807 per cent. of 104 women.'» — cifras de la literatura médica de su tiempo, que ella introduce como control externo de las actas: si el rasgo es así de frecuente, hallarlo no prueba nada.

«The Bench commanded three women to search the body of Elizabeth Sawyer.» — del proceso de la bruja de Edmonton, 1621; el registro corporal ordenado por el tribunal es el procedimiento del que salen casi todos los datos de esta serie.

«John Palmer of St. Albans (1649) confessed that 'upon his compact with the Divel, hee received a flesh brand, or mark, upon his side, which gave suck to two familiars'.» — un acusado varón describiendo su propia marca como hierro de carne; ella la alinea con los casos femeninos para mostrar que el rasgo no era de sexo.

«The Kentish witch, Mary Read of Lenham, in 1652, 'had a visible Teat, under her tongue, and did show it to many, and it was likewise seen by this Observator.'» — el único caso bajo la lengua de toda su tabla, y con testigo que dice haberlo visto.

«Alice Huson, of Burton Agnes, Yorks, in 1664, stated that 'I have, I confess, a Witch-pap, which is sucked by the Unclean Spirit'.» — una acusada nombrando ella misma el pezón de bruja; el término sale de su boca y no del examinador, que es lo que ella retiene.

«Reginald Scot does not distinguish between the two kinds of marks, when he says that if the witch 'have anie privie marke under hir arme pokes, under hir haire, under hir lip, or in her buttocke, or in her privities; it is a presumption sufficient for the judge to proceed to give sentence of death upon her'.» — de Reginald Scot sobre lo que bastaba para condenar; ella lo cita marcando de entrada que confunde las dos marcas que su capítulo separa.

«Helen Guthrie of Forfar (1661) said that 'herselfe, Isobell Shyrie, and Elspet Alexander, did meit togither at ane aile house near to Barrie, a litle befor sunsett, efter they hade stayed in the said house about the spaice of ane houre drinking of thrie pintis of ale togidder, they went foorth to the sandis, and ther thrie other women met them, and the divell wes there present» — del proceso de Forfar: la reunión empieza en una taberna, con hora, cantidad de cerveza y camino a pie hasta la playa. Es la clase de detalle doméstico con que ella desmonta la escena sobrenatural.

«Christian Grieve, of Crook of Devon (1662), acknowledged 'that ye came to the foresaid meeting immediately after your goodman and the rest went to bed, and that ye locked the door and put the key under the same, and that ye and the said Margaret Young your neighbor came foot for foot to the foresaid meeting and that ye stayed at the foresaid meeting about the space of two hours and came back again on your foot, and the foresaid Margaret Young with you, and found the key of the door in that same place where you left it, and declared that neither your husband nor any other in the house was waking at your return'.» — el relato más prosaico de toda la serie: salir cuando el marido se duerme, dejar la llave bajo la puerta e ir andando con la vecina. Ella lo pone como contrapeso de los vuelos.

«Agnes Sampson of North Berwick (1590) said that 'the Devil in mans likeness met her going out in the fields from her own house at Keith, betwixt five and six at even, being her alone and commanded her to be at North-Berwick Kirk the next night: And she passed there on horse-back, conveyed by her Good-son, called Iohn Couper'.» — del proceso escocés: convocatoria en persona con día y hora, y viaje a caballo acompañada por su yerno, con nombre.

«'Certeine wicked women following sathans prouocations, being seduced by the illusion of» — el arranque del Canon Episcopi en su versión inglesa de época, que ella cita como la ley más antigua sobre el vuelo nocturno. El pasaje se corta al final de la plana.

«Boguet's experience (1598) is more dramatic than that of Danaeus:» — introduce a Boguet marcando el escalón de dramatismo respecto de Danaeus; el cotejo entre demonólogos es suyo y sirve para descontar el adorno.

«He also records the actual evidence of individual witches: Françoise Secretain said 'qu'elle avoit esté vne infinité de fois au Sabbat & assemblee des Sorciers ... & qu'elle y alloit sur vn baston blanc, qu'elle mettoit entre ses iambes.» — del material de Boguet: el palo blanco entre las piernas, que es el testimonio francés más citado del vuelo sobre bastón.

«Julian Cox (1664) said that 'one evening she walkt out about a Mile from her own House, and there came riding towards her three persons upon three Broom-staves, born up about a yard and an half from the ground. Two of them she formerly knew, which was a Witch and a Wizzard.... The third person she knew not. He came in the shape of a black Man.'» — de Somerset: el vuelo visto desde fuera, a metro y medio del suelo, y por una testigo que reconoce a dos de los tres.

«One Foster confessed that the Devil carry'd them on a pole, to a Witch-meeting; but the pole broke, and she hanging about [Martha] Carrier's neck, they both fell down, and she then received an hurt by the Fall, whereof she was not at this very time recovered.» — de Salem: la vara que se rompe en pleno vuelo y la lesión que la declarante aún arrastraba. Ella lo transcribe en las dos versiones que corren de la escena.

«So much so was this the case that de Lancre is able to say, 'communement ils l'appellent Aquelarre, qui signifie Lane de Bouc, comme qui diroit la lane ou lãde, où le Bouc conuoque ses assemblees. Et de faict les Sorciers qui confessent, nommẽt le lieu pour la chose, & la chose ou Assemblee pour le lieu: tellement qu'encore que proprement Lane de Bouc, soit le Sabbat qui se tient és» — de De Lancre sobre el vasco *aquelarre*, prado del macho cabrío, y sobre el modo en que el nombre del lugar pasó a nombrar la reunión.

«Estebène de Cambrue (1567) said, 'Le lieu de ceste grande conuocation s'appelle generalement par tout le pays la Lanne de Bouc. Où ils se mettent à dancer à l'entour d'vne pierre, qui est plantée audit lieu, sur laquelle est assis vn grand homme noir.'» — el mismo testimonio del que ella toma la palabra esbat, aquí describiendo la piedra plantada y el baile en torno.

«Bodin, however, gives a better clue, 'Les lieux des assemblees des Sorciers sont notables, & signalez de quelques arbres, ou croix.'» — de Bodin: los lugares de reunión se reconocen por árboles o cruces. Ella lo prefiere a De Lancre por más concreto, y sobre esa frase monta su lectura del menhir.

«The dittays against the witches of Aberdeen in 1596 show that 'wpoun Hallowewin last bypast, att tuelff houris at ewin or thairby, thow the said Thomas Leyis ... withe ane gryit number of vtheris witchis, come to the mercatt and fische croce of Aberdene, wnder the conduct and gyding of the Dewill present withe you, all in company, playing befoir yow on his kynd of instrumentis.» — del pliego de Aberdeen: baile en torno a la cruz del mercado en la víspera de Todos los Santos, a medianoche, con música. Es su prueba de fiesta pública y no clandestina.

«De Lancre, when giving a general account of the ceremonies, says that the witches of the Basses-Pyrénées went to their assemblies at Easter and other solemn festivals, and that their chief night was that of St. John the Baptist.» — de De Lancre; le sirve para mostrar que sobre el calendario antiguo se montaron las fiestas cristianas, no que las sustituyeran.

«Alesoun Peirsoun (1588) was taken by a party of men and women, under the leadership of a man in green, 'fordir nor scho could tell; and saw with thame pypeing and mirrynes and gude scheir, and wes careit to Lowtheane, and saw wyne punchounis with tassis with them'.» — del proceso escocés de Alesoun Peirsoun: el hombre de verde, la música y el vino. Es de los testimonios que ella hace valer a la vez en la serie de las brujas y en la de las hadas.

«At another meeting 'they all daunced togither a whyle, and then went to Mary Rynd's house and sat doune together at the table ... and made them selfes mirrie; and the divell made much of them all, but especiallie of Mary Rynd, and he kist them all'.» — de las actas de Forfar: baile, casa de una vecina con nombre, mesa y saludo. La escena doméstica es la que ella opone a la imagen del aquelarre.

«Alexia Violaea (1589) said that 'nachdem sie were mit ihren Gespielen umb und umb gelauffen eine ziemliche gut Weile, habe sie pflegen in die Höhe über sich zu werffen ein reines subtiles Pulverlein, welches ihr der Teuffel darzu gegeben habe, darvon Raupen, Käffern, Heuschrecken, und dergleichen andere Beschädigung mehr, so Hauffenweise wüchsen, dass die Acker darmit in einem Augenblick überall beschmeist würden'.» — de las actas alemanas: correr en corro y lanzar polvo al aire. El acta lo cuenta como plaga de orugas y langostas; ella lo alinea entre los ritos de fertilidad malentendidos.

«Isobel Gowdie (1662) is as usual very dramatic in her account; on one occasion the witches met to make a charm against the minister of Auldearne, Mr. Harie Forbes: 'Satan wes with ws and learned ws the wordis to say thryse ower.» — marca el registro de su testigo principal —*as usual very dramatic*— antes de citarla, que es la cautela que suele reservar para los demonólogos.

«The Devil of Mohra in Sweden cared only to impress his followers; when the wall which they were building fell down 'some of the Witches are commonly hurt, which makes him laugh, but presently he cures them again'.» — del proceso sueco de Mohra; la risa y la cura inmediata son, para ella, conducta de un hombre manteniendo su autoridad.

«Danaeus, in his general survey of the cult in 1575, says: 'He apointeth where they shall meete, and at what houre of the day, or of the night: wherein they haue no surenes, nor certentie. For these meetinges are not weekely, nor monthly, nor yeerely,» — de Danaeus sobre la irregularidad del calendario; ella lo usa como el resumen contemporáneo que su propio material confirma.

«De Lancre says that in the Basses-Pyrénées 'le lieu où on le trouue ordinairement s'appelle Lanne de bouc, & en Basque Aquelarre de verros, prado del Cabron, & là les Sorciers le vont adorer trois nuicts durant, celle du Lundy, du Mercredy, & du Vendredy.» — de De Lancre: lunes, miércoles y viernes en el País Vasco francés, con el nombre vasco y su versión castellana puestos uno al lado del otro.

«while, according to Bodin, the most frequent was 'entre la nuict du Lundi & Mardi'.» — de Bodin, que da otro día; ella pone las discrepancias de los demonólogos una junto a otra en vez de escoger.

«Janet Breadheid of the Auldearne Coven emphasizes the irregularity of the dates: 'Efter that, we vold still meit euerie ten, twelve, or twantie dayes continwally.'» — de una declarante de Auldearne: cada diez, doce o veinte días. Es el testimonio con que ella prefiere cerrar la cuestión del calendario, por encima de los tratadistas.

«The Swedish witches were much harder worked: 'whereas formerly one journey a week would serve his turn, from their own Town to the place aforesaid, now they were forced to run to other Towns and places for Children, and that some of them did bring with them some fifteen, some sixteen Children every night.'» — del proceso sueco; el ritmo semanal que se acelera es lo que ella retiene, dejando el motivo del acta —la caza de niños— como lo que el acta dice.

«Ann Armstrong declared that 'she and the rest had drawne their compasse nigh to a bridg end, and the devil placed a stone in the middle of the compasse, they sett themselves downe, and bending towards the stone, repeated the Lord's prayer backwards'.» — del proceso de Northumberland de 1673: círculo trazado junto a un puente, piedra al centro y padrenuestro al revés. Ella lo alinea con la piedra plantada de los testimonios franceses.

«Les Sorciers estans assemblez en leur Synagogue adorent premierement Satan ... ils luy offrent des chandelles, & le baisent aux parties honteuses de derriere.» — de un tratadista francés: la secuencia de adoración, ofrenda de velas y beso. Es el orden que ella adopta para exponer el sabbat.

«In 1303 a Bishop of Coventry was accused at Rome of a number of crimes, amongst others 'quod diabolo homagium fecerat, et eum fuerit osculatus in tergo'.» — del proceso romano contra un obispo de Coventry en 1303: homenaje al diablo y beso en la espalda. Es el testimonio más antiguo del rito que ella reúne, y viene de un tribunal eclesiástico, no de una confesión de bruja.

«Cooper mentions it as part of the admission ceremony: 'Secondly, when this acknowledgement is made, in testimoniall of this subiection, Satan offers his back-parts to be kissed of his vassall.'» — de Cooper, uno de los dos tratadistas que recogen el rito; lo cita porque lo sitúa en la admisión y no en el sabbat.

«Isobel Gowdie of Auldearne in 1662 said, 'Somtym he vold be lyk a stirk, a bull, a deir, a rae, or a dowg, and he vold hold wp his taill wntill we wold kiss his arce.'» — de Gowdie otra vez; el gesto de levantar la cola es el que ella empareja con el segundo rostro de los testimonios franceses.

«The explanation of this rite is given in the French authorities: 'Le Diable estoit en forme de bouc, ayant vne queue, & au dessoubs vn visage d'homme noir, où elle fut contrainte le baiser.» — el pasaje francés con el que resuelve el rito escocés: lo que se besaba era un rostro puesto bajo la cola del disfraz.

«Jane Bosdeau confessed that at meetings at Puy-de-Dôme in 1594 'all the Witches had Candles which they lighted at his, and danced in a Circle Back to Back. They kiss'd his Backside, and pray'd that he would help them.'» — testimonio francés de 1594 en traducción inglesa: velas encendidas de la suya, corro de espaldas y petición de ayuda.

«Margaret Og was indicted for going to Craigleauch 'on Hallow even last, and there, accompanied by thy own two daughters, and certain others, your devilish adherents and companions, ye danced all together, about a great stone, under the conduct of Satan, your master, a long space'.» — del pliego de Aberdeen: madre e hijas bailando en torno a una piedra la noche de Todos los Santos. La composición familiar del grupo es lo que ella retiene.

«'Jean Martein is Maiden to the Coven that I am of; and her nickname is "Over the dyke with it", because the Devil always takes the Maiden in his hand next him, when we dance Gillatrypes; and when he would loup from [words broken here] he and she will say, "Over the dyke with it."'» — de Auldearne: el cargo de Maiden del aquelarre, su apodo y su lugar en la danza junto al jefe. La nota entre corchetes sobre el texto roto es del editor.

«It was perhaps this dance which the Devil led: 'Le Diable voit parfois dancer simplement comme spectateur; parfois il mene la dance, changeant souuent de main & se mettant à la main de celles qui luy plaisent le plus.'» — de De Lancre: el Maestro unas veces mira y otras dirige, cambiando de pareja a su gusto. Ella lo lee como conducta de un hombre, no de una aparición.

«The meeting took place upon St. Katherine's Hill, 'and there under the conduct of Satan, present with you, playing before you, after his form, ye all danced a devilish dance, riding on trees, by a long space.'» — del pliego de Aberdeen: bailar cabalgando árboles, que ella empareja con el vuelo sobre bastón de las actas francesas.

«Reginald Scot, quoting Bodin, says: 'At these magicall assemblies, the witches neuer faile to danse; and in their danse they sing these words, Har har, divell divell, danse here danse here, plaie here plaie here, Sabbath sabbath.» — de Bodin por vía de Scot: la única letra de canto de baile que conserva su material.

«There is also a description of one of the dances of the Italian witches: 'At Como and Brescia a number of children from eight to twelve years of age, who had frequented the Sabbat, and had been re-converted by the inquisitors, gave exhibitions in which their skill showed that they had not been taught by human art.» — de las actas italianas: niños reconvertidos que exhibían la danza ante los inquisidores. Para ella la destreza indica aprendizaje, que es justo lo contrario de lo que concluía el acta.

«But as usual de Lancre is at his best when making a general summary: 'Elles dancent au son du petit tabourin & de la fluste, & par fois auec ce long instrument qu'ils posent sur le col, puis s'allongeant iusqu'auprés de la ceinture; ils le battent auec vn petit baston: par fois auec vn violon. Mais ce ne sont les seuls instrumès du sabbat, car nous auõs apprins de plusieurs, qu'on y oyt toute sorte d'instrumens, auec vne telle harmonie, qu'il n'y a concert au monde qui le puisse esgaler.'» — el inventario de instrumentos de De Lancre, con tamborín, flauta, un instrumento largo colgado del cuello y violín. Ella lo prefiere a los testimonios sueltos por su detalle.

«Sinclair had his account from a clergyman: 'a reverend Minister told me, that one who was the Devils Piper, a wizzard confest to him, that at a Ball of dancing, the Foul Spirit taught him a Baudy song to sing and play, as it were this night, and ere two days past all the Lads and Lasses of the town were lilting it throw the street. It were abomination to rehearse it.'» — testimonio de segunda mano que ella marca como tal; el detalle de que la canción corriera por la calle a los dos días es lo que le sirve de indicio de circulación real.

«At Aix in 1610 'the Magicians and those that can reade, sing certaine Psalmes as they doe in the Church, especially Laudate Dominum de Coelis: Confitemini domino quoniam bonus, and the Canticle Benedicite, transferring all to the praise of Lucifer and the Diuels: And the Hagges and Sorcerers doe houle and vary their hellish cries high and low counterfeiting a kinde of villanous musicke.» — del proceso de Aix en traducción inglesa: salmos de iglesia con el destinatario cambiado, y una distinción de clase dentro del grupo entre quienes sabían leer y quienes no.

«Alice Duke gave a similar account: 'All sate down, a white Cloth being spread on the ground, and did drink Wine, and eat Cakes and Meat.'» — de Somerset: mantel blanco en el suelo, vino, pan y carne. Es la comida ordinaria que ella opone a los festines fabulosos de los tratadistas.

«On another occasion a very considerable meeting took place 'in an old house near Castle Semple, where a splendid feast was prepared, which pleased the royal visitor so much, that he complimented his entertainers for their hospitality, and endearingly addressed them as "his bairns"'.» — de una crónica escocesa; el trato de *his bairns* es el detalle de familiaridad que ella retiene frente a la imagen del pacto aterrador.

«According to Marie Lamont, 'the devill came to Kattrein Scott's house, in the midst of the night. He gave them wyn to drink, and wheat bread to eat, and they warr all very mirrie.'» — de Innerkip, 1662: vino y pan de trigo en casa de una vecina, que es la clase de banquete que registran las actas escocesas.

«when we had ended eating, we looked steadfastly to the Devil, and bowing ourselves to him, we said to the Devil, We thank thee, our Lord, for this.» — la acción de gracias de Auldearne en boca de la propia declarante; es el texto litúrgico más claro que ella logra reunir.

«the devil and the said William Craw brought the ale which ye drank, extending to about seven gallons, from the house of Elizabeth Hamilton.» — de un pliego escocés: la cerveza traída entre dos personas con nombre, y en cantidad contada. El dato es el que ella opone al banquete producido por arte de magia.

«The diet they did use to have there, was, they said, Broth with Colworts and Bacon in it, Oatmeal, Bread spread with Butter, Milk and Cheese.» — del proceso sueco: caldo de coles con tocino, avena, pan con mantequilla, leche y queso. La comida es la del país, no un festín.

«John Fian blew up the Kirk doors, and blew in the lights, which were like mickle black candles, holden in an old man's hand, round about the pulpit.» — del acta de North Berwick: velas negras sostenidas por un anciano alrededor del púlpito. Ella lee la escena como iluminación de un oficio, no como prodigio.

«In 1598 the witches whom Boguet tried said that— 'les Sorciers estans assemblez en leur Synagogue adorent premierement Satan, qui apparoit là, tantost en forme d'vn grand homme noir, tantost en forme de bouc, & pour plus grand hommage, ils luy offrent des chandelles, qui rendent vne flamme de couleur bleüe.'» — del material de Boguet: la ofrenda de velas de llama azul, que ella explicará por el material y no por su naturaleza.

«Barthélemy Minguet of Brécy, a man of twenty-five, tried in 1616, described the ceremonies of the Sabbath; after the sermon the worshippers 'vont à l'offerte, tenant en leurs mains des chandelles de poix noire qui leur sont données par le Diable'.» — de un acusado francés joven: sermón y luego ofertorio con velas de pez negra repartidas por el jefe. La secuencia de misa es lo que ella subraya.

«The Somerset witches stated that, when they met, 'the Man in Black bids them welcome, and they all make low obeysance to him, and he delivers some Wax Candles like little Torches, which they give back again at parting.'» — de Somerset: velas repartidas al empezar y devueltas al terminar, que ella retiene como administración de un objeto de culto.

«The latest account of a witch-meeting in the eighteenth century describes how the witches of Strathdown went to Pol-nain and there were 'steering themselves to and fro in their riddles, by means of their oars the brooms, hallooing and skirling worse than the bogles, and each holding in her left hand a torch of fir'.» — el relato más tardío de su serie, ya de tono folclórico: cribas por barca, escobas por remos y antorchas de pino.

«the devill at this tyme preaches to his witches really (if I may so term it) the doctrine of the infernall pitt, viz. blasphemies against God and his son Christ.» — de una crónica escocesa sobre la predicación en la asamblea; el paréntesis de cautela es del cronista, y ella lo conserva.

«the Devil 'adventured to give them the communion or holy sacrament, the bread was like wafers, the drink was sometimes blood sometimes black moss-water.» — del mismo material escocés: obleas y una bebida que era sangre o agua negra de turbera.

«The Abbé Guibourg (1679), head of the Paris witches, 'a fait chez la Voisin, revêtu d'aube, d'étole et de manipule, une conjuration.'» — del sumario parisino: el abate revestido con alba, estola y manípulo. Ella retiene los ornamentos porque lo presentan oficiando como sacerdote.

«Abigail Williams said 'that the Witches had a Sacrament that day at an house in the Village, and that they had Red Bread and Red Drink'.» — de Salem: pan rojo y bebida roja. Es el testimonio con que ella sostiene que también en Nueva Inglaterra había una eucaristía del culto.

«Richard Carrier affirmed to the jury that he saw Mr. George Burroughs at the witch meeting at the village and saw him administer the sacrament.» — de Salem otra vez: quien administraba era el clérigo, lo que encaja con su identificación de Burroughs como el jefe local.

«Danaeus, speaking of the newly admitted witch, says, 'Then this vngracious and new servant of satan, euery day afterward offreth something of his goods to his patrone, some his dogge, some his hen, and some his cat.'» — de Danaeus sobre la ofrenda diaria; ella lo cita para fijar el hecho del sacrificio animal y después descontarle la frecuencia.

«Scot, who always improves on his original, states that the witches depart after the Sabbath, 'not forgetting euery daie afterwards to offer to him, dogs, cats, hens, or bloud of their owne.'» — marca de entrada que Scot embellece su fuente y aun así lo cita; el juicio sobre el testigo va delante de la cita, que es su manera de no aplanarlos a todos.

«In 1324 in Ireland Lady Alice Kyteler 'was charged to haue nightlie conference with a spirit called Robin Artisson, to whom she sacrificed in the high waie .ix. red cocks'.» — del proceso irlandés: nueve gallos rojos sacrificados en el camino real. El número y el color son lo que ella retiene como forma ritual.

«Boguet says, 'Les Matrones, & sages femmes sont accoustumé d'offrir à Satan les petits enfans qu'elles reçoiuent, & puis les faire mourir auant qu'ils soient baptizez, par le moyẽ d'vne grosse espingle qu'elles leur enfoncent dans le cerueau.'» — de Boguet sobre las comadronas; es la acusación más grave de todo su material y ella la transcribe sin suscribirla, dentro de la serie del sacrificio infantil.

«In Scotland it was firmly believed that sacrifices of children took place in all classes of society: 'The justices of the peace were seen familiarly conversing with the foul fiend, to whom one in Dumfries-shire actually offered up his firstborn child immediately after birth, stepping out with it in his arms to the staircase, where the devil stood ready, as it was suspected, to receive the innocent victim.'» — de una crónica escocesa; ella la trae por lo que dice de la creencia, y el propio texto se cubre con un *as it was suspected*.

«Boguet says that in the Lyons district in 1598 the Devil celebrated mass, and 'apres auoir prins la figure d'vn Bouc, se consume en feu, & reduit en cendre, laquelle les Sorciers recueillent, & cachent pour s'en seruir à l'execution de leurs desseins pernicieux & abominables'.» — de Boguet: el Maestro en figura de macho cabrío que se consume en el fuego y cuyas cenizas se recogen. Es el testimonio del que ella saca el sacrificio del dios.

«Jeanne de Belloc in 1609 'a veu le Grand maistre de l'assemblee se ietter dans les flammes au sabbat, se faire brusler iusques à ce qu'il estoit reduit en poudre, & les grandes & insignes sorcieres prendre les dictes poudres pour ensorceler les petits enfants & les mener au sabbat, & en prenoient aussi dans la bouche pour ne reueler iamais'.» — de las actas de De Lancre: el jefe que se arroja al fuego y el polvo que se toma en la boca para no revelar nada.

«At Lille in 1661 the girls in Madame Bourignon's orphanage stated that 'on y adoroit une bête; & qu'on faisoit avec elle des infamies; & puis sur la fin on la brûloit, & chacun en prenoit des cendres, avec lesquelles on faisoit languir ou mourir des personnes, ou autres animaux'.» — del orfanato de Lille: adoración de un animal, quema y reparto de cenizas. Ella lo alinea con el rito francés del sacrificio del dios, ya con las cenizas puestas al servicio del daño.

«The Swedish witches, 1669, called their Chief with the cry, 'Antecessor, come and carry us to Blockula'; this they did at an appointed place, and the Devil then appeared as a man.» — del proceso sueco: llamada con un título latino en un lugar convenido, y aparición en figura de hombre.

«The witches of the Basses-Pyrénées, 1609, anointed themselves before starting, and repeated the words 'Emen hetan, emen hetan', which de Lancre translates 'Ici et là,» — de De Lancre, con su traducción al francés de una fórmula vasca; ella conserva las dos capas, la palabra y la versión del juez.

«Isobel Gowdie, 1662, gives two variants of the magic words used on these occasions: the first, 'Horse and hattock, in the Divellis name' is not unlike the form given by Martin Tulouff; the second is longer, 'Horse and hattock, horse and goe, Horse and pellattis, ho! ho!'» — de Auldearne: las dos variantes de la fórmula de partida, que ella empareja con un testimonio de Guernsey de un siglo antes.

«The Somerset witches, 1664, when starting to the meeting, said, 'Thout, tout a tout, tout, throughout and about'; and when returning, 'Rentum tormentum'.» — de Somerset: fórmula de ida y fórmula de vuelta, que es el par completo que en otros procesos aparece a medias.

«At the elevation of the host the congregation cried, '"Aquerra goity, Aquerra beyty, Aquerra goity, Aquerra beyty," qui veut dire Cabron arriba, Cabron abaro (sic)';» — de las actas vascofrancesas: la aclamación en la elevación, con la versión castellana que da el propio expediente y el *sic* del editor.

«Agnes Sampson of the same Coven as Fian confessed 'that at the time when his Majestie was in Denmark, shee being accompanied by the parties before speciallie named, tooke a cat and christened it, and afterwards bounde to each part of that cat, the cheefest parte of a dead man, and severall joyntis of his bodie:» — del proceso de North Berwick: el gato bautizado y atado a restos humanos para levantar la tormenta contra la nave del rey.

«The Coven at Prestonpans sent a letter to the Leith Coven that— 'they sould mak the storm vniuersall thro the sea.» — del mismo proceso: una carta de un grupo a otro, que para ella es prueba de que las agrupaciones se comunicaban por escrito y con encargos.

«'In the time of Ibn Munkidh the witches rode about naked on a stick between the graves of the cemetery of Shaizar.'» — un paralelo árabe que ella introduce para sacar el vuelo sobre bastón del área europea; la referencia va sin más comentario que el paralelismo.

«The celebrated Decree of Innocent VIII, which in 1488 let loose the full force of the Church against the witches, says that 'they blight the marriage bed, destroy the births of women and the increase of cattle; they blast the corn on the ground, the grapes of the vineyard, the fruits of the trees, the grass and herbs of the field'.» — de la bula de Inocencio VIII en traducción inglesa: la lista de daños es toda agraria y generativa, que es exactamente lo que ella quiere hacer ver.

«Adrian VI followed this up in 1521 with a Decretal Epistle, denouncing the witches 'as a Sect deviating from the Catholic Faith, denying their Baptism, and showing Contempt of the Ecclesiastical Sacraments, treading Crosses under their Feet, and, taking the Devil for their Lord, destroyed the Fruits of the Earth by their Enchantments, Sorceries, and Superstitions'.» — de la epístola de Adriano VI; la palabra *Sect* en boca del papa es la que ella retiene, porque nombra un cuerpo organizado y no individuos.

«Madame Bourignon says that the girls, whom she befriended, 'told me, that Persons who were thus engaged to the Devil by a precise Contract, will allow no other God but him, and therefore offer him whatsoever is dearest to them; nay, are constrained to offer him their Children, or else the Devil would Beat them, and contrive that they should never arrive to the State of Marriage, and so should have no Children, by reason that the Devil hath» — del relato de Antoinette Bourignon sobre las huérfanas de Lille; la amenaza es de esterilidad, que ella alinea con el poder sobre la fecundidad.

«This is even stated as a fact by so great an authority as Bodin: 'Les diables ne font point de paction expresse auec les enfans, qui leurs sont vouëz, s'ils n'ont attaint l'aage de puberté.'» — de Bodin: no hay pacto expreso con los niños antes de la pubertad. Ella lo llama gran autoridad y lo usa para fijar la regla de edad.

«In the case of Isobel Elliot, the Devil 'offered to lie with her, but forbore because she was with child; that after she was kirked the Devil often met her, and had carnal copulation with her'.» — de un proceso escocés: la abstención durante el embarazo y la reanudación tras la ceremonia de purificación. Es su prueba de la segunda regla.

«'Le Diable faict des mariages au Sabbat entre les Sorciers & Sorcieres, & leur joignant les mains, il leur dict hautement Esta es buena parati Esta parati lo toma.» — de De Lancre: casamientos en el sabbat con unión de manos y fórmula en castellano, en pleno País Vasco francés.

«Jeannette d'Abadie dit qu'elle n'a iamais senty, qu'il eust aucune semence, sauf quand il la depucella qu'elle la sentit froide, mais que celle des autres hommes qui l'ont cognue, est naturelle.» — de las actas de De Lancre: la declarante distingue expresamente entre lo que sintió con el Maestro y lo que sintió con otros hombres. Ese contraste es la base del argumento de Murray.

«Gaule mentions this fact in his general account: 'Oft times he marries them ere they part, either to himselfe, or their Familiar, or to one another; and that by the Book of Common Prayer (as a pretender to witchfinding lately told me in the Audience of many).'» — de Gaule: matrimonios celebrados con el libro de oración anglicano. El paréntesis en que descuenta a su informante es del propio Gaule.

«Rebecca Weste, daughter of a witch, married the Devil by what may be a primitive rite; he came to her 'as shee was going to bed, and told her, he would marry her, and that shee could not deny him; shee said he kissed her, but was as cold as clay, and married her that night, in this manner; he tooke her by the hand and lead her about the chamber, and promised to be her loving husband till death, and to avenge her of her enemies; and that then shee promised him to be his obedient wife till death, and to deny God, and Christ Jesus.'» — de Essex: una fórmula matrimonial completa, con promesas recíprocas, que ella marca como posible rito primitivo.

«The Swedish witches in 1670 confessed that at Blockula 'the Devil had Sons and Daughters which he did marry together'.» — del proceso sueco: el jefe casando entre sí a los hijos del culto, que ella lee como endogamia de una comunidad y no como fábula.

«Estebene de Cambrue (1567) said that 'elle a veu au Sabbat vn Notaire qu'elle nomme, lequel a accoustumé de leuer les defauts de celles qui ont manqué de se trouuer au Sabbat.'» — del testimonio francés: un notario que llevaba la cuenta de las faltas de asistencia. Es la pieza con que ella sostiene que había registro y control.

«'eminent warlok' Robert Grieve of Lauder (1649) 'was brought to a Confession of his being the Devils Officer in that Countrey for warning all Satans Vassals to come to the Meetings, where, and whensoever the Devil required.... The Devil gave him that charge, to be his Officer to warn all to the meetings; (as was said before,)» — de un acusado escocés que se declara oficial encargado de convocar; el cargo sale de su propia boca, no del interrogatorio.

«Isobel Gowdie (1662) says definitely, 'Johne Young, in Mebestowne, is Officer to owr Coeven', and remarks in another part of her confession that 'Johne Yownge in Mebestowne, owr Officer, did drywe the plewghe'.» — de Auldearne: el oficial nombrado con nombre y aldea, y en otro lugar arando. La reiteración en dos puntos de la confesión es lo que ella subraya.

«Mr. Gideon Penman (1678), who had once been minister at Crighton, went to the Sabbaths, where the Devil spoke of him as 'Mr. Gideon, my chaplain'.» — de las actas escocesas: un ministro presbiteriano llamado capellán por el jefe del culto. Es su caso más limpio de clérigo con cargo en el culto.

«Elizabeth Stile of Windsor (1579) said that 'mother Seidre dwelling in the Almeshouse, was the maistres Witche of all the reste'.» — de Windsor: una mujer del asilo dada por maestra de todas. Ella lo trae como cargo femenino de mando.

«In France (1609) the custom seems to have been universal, 'en chasque village trouuer vne Royne du Sabbat', who sat at the Devil's left hand during the celebration of the mass and received the offerings of the faithful.» — de De Lancre: una reina por aldea, sentada a la izquierda y receptora de las ofrendas. La función litúrgica es lo que ella retiene.

«In Guernsey in 1617 Isabel Becquet confessed that— 'at the Sabbath the Devil used to summon the Wizards and Witches in regular order (she remembered very well having heard him call the old woman Collette the first, in these terms: Madame the Old Woman Becquette): then the woman Fallaise; and afterwards the woman Hardie.» — de Guernsey: pase de lista por orden y con tratamiento. Es su prueba de protocolo y de antigüedad en el cargo.

«Her evidence shows that there were several Covens in the district: 'The last tyme that owr Coven met, we, and an vther Coven, wer dauncing at the Hill of Earlseat, and befor that we ves beyond the Meikle-burne; and the vther Coven being at the Downie-hillis, we went besyd them.» — de Gowdie: dos grupos distintos en el mismo distrito, cada uno con su sitio. Es el pasaje del que ella saca la pluralidad de aquelarres.

«Cooper states this plainly: 'He deliuers unto his Proselite, and so to the rest, the Rules of his Art, instructing them in the manner of hurting and helping, and acquainting them with such medicines and poysons as are vsuall herevnto.'» — de Cooper: reglas de un arte, con daño y curación en el mismo programa. Ella lo cita porque describe una enseñanza y no una posesión.

«Bessie Dunlop (1567) never attempted to cure any disease without first consulting Thom Reid, 'quhen sundrie persounes cam to hir to seik help for thair beist, thair kow or yow, or for ane barne that was tane away with ane evill blast of wind, or elf-grippit, sche gait and sperit at Thom, Quhat mycht help thame?—Sche culd do nathing, quhill sche had first spokin with Thom.'» — de Ayrshire: una curandera que no actuaba sin consultar antes a su instructor. Es la escena de la que ella hace modelo de la relación entre miembro y jefe.

«Another Devil's-book was carried away, apparently as a joke, by Mr. Williamson of Cardrona, who took it from the witches as they danced on Minchmoor, but they followed him and he returned it.» — anécdota escocesa de tono folclórico; la trae porque el libro aparece como objeto que se puede robar y devolver, no como prodigio.

«According to Bodin, 'chacun Sorcier doit rendre compte du mal qu'il a faict sur peine d'estre bien battu.'» — de Bodin: rendición de cuentas bajo pena de paliza. Es la primera pieza de su capítulo sobre la disciplina.

«Alexander Hamilton (1630) stated that 'thair was ane new tryst appointed be him to be keipit wt thame altogidder within xiii days thereftir upon the cauldbit mure Quhilk meitting was nocht keipit be the said Alexr for the quhilk caus and breking of that tryst the said Alexr was maist rigorouslie strukin be the devill wt ane battoun at ane meitting keipit betuix thame schortlie thereftir upone gairnetoune hillis'.» — de un proceso escocés: castigo con un bastón por faltar a una cita fijada. El instrumento material es lo que ella retiene.

«Bot Margret Wilson, in Auldearne, wold defend hir selfe fynelie, and cast wp hir handis to keip the stroakis off from hir; and Bessie Wilson would speak crustie with hir townge, and wold be belling again to him stowtlie.» — de Gowdie: dos compañeras que se defendían a manotazos y a gritos del jefe que las azotaba. La escena de forcejeo entre personas es lo que ella opone a la idea de una posesión demoníaca.

«Beigis Tod, who belonged to one of the North Berwick Covens but was not tried till 1608, was late in arriving at a meeting, 'quhair the Deuill appeirit to thame, and reprovet the said Beigis Tod verrie scherplie, for hir long tayreing; to quhome scho maid this ansuer, "Sir, I could wyn na soner."'» — del proceso escocés: una reprimenda por llegar tarde y una excusa doméstica. El intercambio es el de un jefe con su gente.

«The earliest instance occurred in 1450, when the Church had begun to use its power systematically against the witches. 'The Inquisitor of Como, Bartolomeo de Homate, the podestà Lorenzo da Carorezzo, and the notary Giovanni da Fossato, either out of curiosity or because they doubted the witches whom they were trying, went to a place of assembly at Mendrisio and witnessed the scene from a hiding-place. The presiding demon pretended not to know their presence, and in due course dismissed the assembly, but suddenly recalled his followers and set them on the officials, who were so beaten that they died within fifteen days.» — del material italiano: tres funcionarios que espían una asamblea y mueren apaleados. Ella lo lee como represalia de un grupo humano contra quien lo vigilaba.

«Rebecca West, a young Essex witch (1645), confessed to Matthew Hopkins that 'if shee should discover any thing, they all told the said Rebecca, shee should endure more torments on earth, then could be in hell: and the said Rebecca told this informant that shee promised to keepe all their secrets; and moreover they all told her, that shee must never confesse any thing, although the rope were about her necke, and shee ready to be hanged'.» — de las actas de Essex recogidas por el cazador de brujas Matthew Hopkins: juramento de silencio hasta la horca. Ella lo trae como disciplina de grupo, no como amenaza sobrenatural.

«John Reid of the same Coven— 'after his Confession had called out of his prison Window, desiring Baily Scott to keep that old body Angus Forrester, who had been his fellow prisoner, closs and secure; whereupon the company asked John when they were leaving him on Friday night the 21th of May, whether he desired company or would be afraid alone, he said he had no fear of anything:» — de Renfrewshire: un preso que pide que vigilen a otro y dice no temer nada, poco antes de aparecer muerto. La secuencia es lo que ella subraya.

«In 1566 John Walsh, of Netherberry in Dorset, who 'knoweth when anye man is bewytched, sayth vpon his oth, that his Familiar would sometyme come vnto hym lyke a gray blackish Culuer, and somtime like a brended Dog, and somtimes lyke a man.'» — de Dorset: un adivino que declara bajo juramento las tres formas en que se le presentaba su familiar. Es el ejemplo más antiguo de su serie adivinatoria.

«In 1590 Agnes Sampson, the 'wise wife' of Keith, was— 'fylit and convict, that the Dewill apperit to hir in liknes of ane dog, att quhom she socht her haill responsis that quhene sche wes send for to haill the auld Lady Edmestoune, quhene sche lay seik, befoir the said Agnes departit, sche tauld to the gentilwemene, that sche sould tell thame that nycht quhidder the Lady wald haill or nocht; and appointit thame to be in the gardin efter supper, betuix fyve and sax att ewin.» — del proceso de North Berwick: consulta de pronóstico sobre una enferma, con cita en el jardín a hora fija. La escena es de consulta médica, no de aquelarre.

«In Derbyshire in 1597, 'Whereas Alice Gooderige said her familiar was like one William Gregories dog of Stapenhill, there arose a rumor, his dog was her familiar: Wherefore hee with his neighbour maister Coxe went the next day to examin her concerning this report; and she saide, my diuel (I say) was like your dog. Now out vpon thee (saide Gregorie) and departed: she being further examined, saide she had her familiar of her mother.'» — de Derbyshire: un vecino que va a defender a su perro de la fama de familiar y se marcha indignado. Es la clase de escena de aldea que ella opone al aparato demonológico.

«Forbes, the great Scotch lawyer, says that 'to some he [the Devil] gives certain Spirits or Imps to correspond with, and serve them as their Familiars, known to them by some odd Names, to which they answer when called.» — de Forbes, jurista escocés; los nombres propios de los familiares son lo que ella retiene, porque suponen trato regular y no aparición.

«The trial of Margaret Nin-Gilbert at Thurso was as late as 1719: 'Being interrogat, If ever the devil appeared afterwards to her? Confessed, That sometimes he appeared in the likeness of a great black horse,» — de Thurso, uno de los procesos más tardíos que reúne; le sirve para mostrar hasta cuándo llega el material.

«Item, this mother Waterhouse confessed that shee fyrst turned this Cat into a tode by this meanes, she kept the cat a great while in woll in a pot, and at length being moued by pouertie to occupie the woll, she praied in the name of the father and of the sonne, and of the holy ghost that it wold turne into a tode, and forthwith it was turned into a tode, and so kept it in the pot without woll.» — de Chelmsford, 1566: el cambio de animal explicado en el acta por la necesidad de vender la lana, y con una oración trinitaria de por medio. La mezcla de miseria doméstica y fórmula cristiana es lo que ella retiene.

«Thomas Rabbet, aged eight, said that his mother Ursley Kemp 'hath foure seuerall spirites, the one called Tyffin, the other Tittey, the third Pigine, and the fourth Iacke: and being asked of what colours they were, saith, that Tyttey is like a little grey Cat,» — de St Osyth, 1582: un niño de ocho años declarando contra su madre y describiendo por nombre y color a los cuatro familiares.

«Febey Hunt, stepdaughter of Ales Hunt, one of the accused witches, stated that 'shee hath seen her mother to haue two little thinges like horses,[845] the one white, the other blacke, the which shee kept in a little lowe earthen pot with woll, colour white and blacke, and that they stoode in her chamber by her bed side, and saith, that shee hath seene her mother to feede them with milke'.» — del mismo proceso: el puchero de barro con lana junto a la cama, que es el detalle material del que ella hace regla del familiar doméstico.

«In 1588 in Essex an old woman, whose name is not given, 'confessed all: Which was this in effect: that she had three spirits: one like a cat, which she called Lightfoot, another like a toad, which she called Lunch, the third like a Weasill, which she called Makeshift.» — de Essex: tres familiares con nombres de uso corriente, que ella recoge en su inventario onomástico.

«In Lancashire in 1613 old mother Demdike confessed that 'vpon a Sabbath day in the morning, this Examinate hauing a litle Child vpon her knee, and she being in a slumber, the sayd Spirit appeared vnto her in the likenes of a browne Dogg, forcing himselfe to her knee, to get blood vnder her left Arme: and she being without any apparrell sauing her Smocke, the said Deuill did get blood vnder her left arme'.» — de Lancashire: la sangre tomada bajo el brazo izquierdo, en la posición que ella cruzará con la tabla de pezones supernumerarios.

«And then the said Elizabeth being asked, if any more impes would come? she answered, "That Vinegar Tom would come by and by» — del interrogatorio de Elizabeth Clarke por Hopkins en Essex; el familiar anunciado por su nombre antes de aparecer es lo que hace de la escena un procedimiento y no una visión.

«the said Rebecca told this informant, that as her mother and shee walked together, the said Anne told the said Rebecca, shee must keepe secret whatsoever shee saw, whither they were then going; and the said Rebecca promised so to doe;» — de Essex: una madre que lleva a la hija a una reunión y le exige silencio por el camino. Es la escena de reclutamiento familiar que ella documenta una y otra vez.

«—This informant Henry Cornwall saith, that the said Margaret [Moone] did confesse to him that she had twelve impes, and called them by their names; of which he remembers onely these following: Jesus, Jockey, Sandy, Mrit. Elizabeth, and Collyn.—» — de Essex: doce familiares con nombre, y el primero de la lista es Jesus. El corchete con el apellido es del editor.

«The said Francis and John say, that the said Sarah Barton, told them, that the said Marian [Hocket] had given and delivered unto her the said Sarah three imps, and that the said Marian called them by the names of Littleman, Pretty-man, and Dainty.—» — de Essex: entrega de familiares de una acusada a otra, con nombres de trato afectuoso. Es su prueba de la vía de donación entre miembros.

«Rebecca Jones saith, that as shee was going to St. Osyth (where this examinant doth now dwell) to sell her said masters butter, a man met with her, being in a ragged sute, and having such great eyes, that this examinant was much afraid of him; who came to this examinant, and gave her three things like to moules, having foure feet a piece, but without tayles, and of a black colour, and bid this examinant nurse the said three things, untill he did desire them againe;» — de Essex: el encuentro en el camino con un hombre andrajoso que entrega tres animales en depósito. La condición de devolverlos es lo que ella retiene.

«Johan Cooper saith, That she hath been a witch about twenty yeers, and hath three familiars, two like mouses, and the third like a frog; the names of the two like mouses are Jack, and the other Prickeare, and the name of the third, like a frog, is Frog.» — de Essex: la nitidez doméstica de la declaración, con los años de oficio contados y una rana llamada Rana.

«Joan Wallis of Keiston said [that the Devil came to her] and shee asked what his name was, and he said his name was Blackeman, and asked her if she were poore, and she said I; then he told her he would send one Grissell and Greedigut to her, that shall do any thing for her.» — de Huntingdonshire: el Maestro se presenta por su nombre y pregunta por la pobreza de la declarante antes de ofrecer nada.

«John Winnick said, 'On a Friday being in the barne [where he lost his purse] there appeared unto him a Spirit, blacke and shaggy, and having pawes like a Beare, but in bulk not fully so big as a Coney.» — de Huntingdonshire: la aparición llega a un hombre que acaba de perder su bolsa. El detonante material de la escena es el que ella subraya.

«Alice Duke 'confesseth that her Familiar doth commonly suck her right Breast about seven at night, in the shape of a little Cat of a dunnish colour, which is as smooth as a Want, and when she is suckt, she is in a kind of a Trance.—Christian Green saith, The Devil doth usually suck her left Brest about five of the Clock in the Morning in the likeness of an Hedghog, bending, and did so on Wednesday Morning last.» — de Somerset: dos declaraciones con hora fija y estado de trance. La regularidad horaria es lo que ella retiene como hábito y no como visión.

«qu'il y a des Sorciers qui nourrissent des Marionettes, qui sont de petits Diableteaux en forme de Crapaux, & leur font manger de la bouillie composée de laict & de farine, & leur donnent le premier mourceau, & n'oseroient s'absenter de leur maison sans leur demander congé, & luy faut dire combien de temps ils seront absens, comme trois ou quatre iours, & si elles disent que c'est trop, ceux qui les gardent, n'osent faire leur voyage ny outre-passer leur volonté.» — del testimonio de Orleans: los sapos alimentados con papilla de leche y harina, a los que se pide permiso para salir de casa. Es el equivalente francés del familiar doméstico inglés.

«In 1582 Ales Hunt of St. Osyth confessed to having two spirits, and 'saith, that her sister (named Margerie Sammon) hath also two spirites like Toades, the one called Tom, and the other Robbyn: And saith further, her sayde Syster and shee had the sayd spyrites of their Mother, Mother Barnes.'» — de St Osyth: dos hermanas que reciben familiares de su madre. Es su caso más limpio de herencia en línea femenina.

«In 1667 at Liverpool, 'Margaret Loy, being arraigned for a witch, confessed she was one; and when she was asked how long she had so been, replied, Since the death of her mother, who died thirty years ago; and at her decease she had nothing to leave her, and this widow Bridge, that were sisters, but her two spirits; and named them, the eldest spirit to this widow, and the other spirit to her the said Margaret Loy.'» — de Liverpool: la herencia contada como reparto de bienes entre hermanas, con el espíritu mayor para la mayor.

«Sometime in the beginning of the last century, two old dames attended the morning service at Llanddewi Brefi Church, and partook of the Holy Communion; but instead of eating the sacred bread like other communicants, they kept it in their mouths and went out.» — de la tradición galesa: la hostia guardada en la boca al salir de misa. Es uno de los dos casos por analogía con los que ella conjetura un rito previo a la aparición del familiar.

«confessed 'that vpon Sheare Thursday was two yeares, his Grand-Mother Elizabeth Sothernes, alias Dembdike, did bid him this Examinate goe to the Church to receiue the Communion (the next day after being Good Friday) and then not to eate the Bread the Minister gaue him, but to bring it and deliuer it to such a thing as should meet him in his way homewards: Notwithstanding her perswasions, this Examinate did eate the Bread; and so in his comming homeward some fortie roodes off the said Church, there met him a thing in the shape of a Hare, who spoke vnto this Examinate, and asked him whether hee had brought the Bread.'» — de Lancashire: el encargo de la abuela y la liebre que sale al camino a reclamar la hostia. El rito verbal previo que ella echa en falta aquí sí aparece entero.

«In 1621 Elizabeth Sawyer, the witch of Edmonton, said that 'the first time that the Diuell came vnto me was, when I was cursing, swearing, and blaspheming'.» — de Edmonton: la propia declarante enlaza la aparición con su maldecir. Es el testimonio del que ella hace regla.

«In 1662 at Auldearne Issobell Gowdie confessed 'ther is threttein persones in ilk Coeven; and ilk on of vs has an Sprit to wait wpon ws, quhan ve pleas to call wpon him.» — el pasaje del que sale el número trece: lo dice una declarante escocesa, en su propia lengua, y de él hace Murray la regla del aquelarre.

«In 1633, Margaret Johnson, the Lancashire witch, stated that 'besides theire particular familiars or spirits, there was one greate or grand devill, or spirit, more eminent than the rest.» — de Lancashire: la distinción entre el familiar de cada cual y un jefe único, dicha por una acusada.

«Here there is no suggestion of any change of form, yet in the accusation against Bessie Thom, who was tried for the same offence, the dittay states that 'there, accompanied with thy devilish companions and faction, transformed in other likeness, some in hares, some in cats, and some in other similitudes, ye all danced about the Fish Cross'.» — dos pliegos por el mismo hecho, uno con transformación y otro sin ella; el cotejo es de Murray y le sirve para mostrar que la metamorfosis la añade el redactor.

«In 1617 in Guernsey Marie Becquet said that 'every time that she went to the Sabbath, the Devil came to her, and it seemed as though he transformed her into a female dog'.» — de Guernsey: la propia declarante dice *it seemed as though*, que es la cautela que ella retiene del testimonio.

«Ann Armstrong declared that at a witch meeting Ann Baites 'hath been severall times in the shape of a catt and a hare, and in the shape of a greyhound and a bee, letting the divell see how many shapes she could turn herself into.» — de Northumberland: la transformación como exhibición de destreza ante el jefe, que ella lee como número ejecutado y no como prodigio.

«Jeanne herself has said that she had heard from her godmother, and from many people, of visions and apparitions of Fairies, or Fairy spirits [gallice faées];» — del proceso de Juana de Arco: los jueces la interrogan sobre las hadas del árbol de su aldea. Murray reproduce las preguntas para mostrar qué buscaban realmente.

«she confessed that up to this time she did not know that Fairies were evil spirits.» — de la misma declaración de Juana; la frase señala que la identificación entre hadas y demonios era del tribunal, no de la acusada.

«He sayth that he knew it partlye by the Feries, and saith that ther be .iii. kindes of Feries, white, greene, and black.» — de la declaración de John Walsh, 1566: una clasificación de hadas por colores en boca de un adivino inglés.

«Alesoun Peirsoun of Byrehill, Fifeshire. Was conuict for hanting and repairing with the gude nichtbouris and Quene of Elfame, thir diuers ʒeiris bypast, as scho had confesst be hir depositiounis, declaring that scho could nocht say reddelie how lang scho wes with thame;» — del proceso escocés: la condena es por frecuentar a los buenos vecinos y a la Reina de Elfame, no por adorar al diablo. Es la pieza central del apéndice.

«In Grange-mure thair come ane man to hir, cled in grene clothis, quha said to hir, Gif scho wald be faithfull, he wald do hir guid.» — del mismo proceso: el hombre vestido de verde que ofrece protección a cambio de fidelidad, con la misma fórmula que en las actas de brujería usa el Maestro.

«Isobell Strathaquhin and her daughter, of Aberdeen. Theye depone that hir self confessis that quhat skill so ever scho hes, scho hed it of hir mother; and hir mother learnit at ane elf man quha lay with hir.» — de Aberdeen: el saber recibido de la madre, y la madre de un hombre elfo. La cadena de transmisión atraviesa las dos series, la feérica y la de brujas.

«Andro Man of Aberdeen. Thriescoir yeris sensyne or thairby, the Devill, thy maister, com to thy motheris hous, in the liknes and scheap of a woman, quhom thow callis the Quene of Elphen, and was delyverit of a barne, as apperit to the their....» — de Aberdeen: la Reina de Elphen dando a luz en una casa de aldea. La escena doméstica es lo que ella retiene frente a la lectura demonológica.

«Suchlike thou affirms that the Queen of Elphin has a grip of all the craft, but Christsunday is the goodman, and has all power under God.» — del mismo pliego: el reparto de poderes entre la Reina y Christsunday, con Dios por encima de los dos. Es la jerarquía que la propia declaración establece.

«To this I shall only add thus much, that the man was accused for invoking and calling upon evil spirits, and was a very simple and illiterate person to any mans judgment, and had been formerly very poor, but had gotten some pretty little meanes to maintain himself, his Wife and diverse small children, by his cures done with this white powder, of which there were sufficient proofs, and the Judge asking him how he came by the powder, he told a story to this effect.» — del relato de un proceso inglés contra un curandero del polvo blanco; ella lo trae entero porque el acusado atribuye su saber a las hadas y no al diablo.

«This was the plain and simple story (however it may be judged of) that he told before the Judge, the whole Court, and the Jury, and there being no proof, but what cures he had done to very many, the Jury did acquit him.» — el desenlace del mismo caso: absuelto por falta de prueba. Es de las pocas absoluciones que su dossier registra.

«The Qwein of Fearrie is brawlie clothed in whyt linens, and in whyt and browne cloathes, &c.; and the King of Fearrie is a braw man, weill favoured, and broad faced, &c.» — de Auldearne: el retrato de los reyes feéricos hecho por una declarante acusada de brujería, con ropa y facciones de personas.

«The Devill wold giw ws the brawest lyk money that ewer wes coyned; within fowr and twantie houris it vold be horsemuke.» — de Auldearne: el oro que se vuelve estiércol en un día, motivo feérico dicho dentro de una confesión de brujería. Es el enganche que ella usa entre las dos series.

«Being inquired quhat difference was betwix shooting and blasting sayes that quhen they are shott ther is no recoverie for it and if the shott be in the heart they died presently bot if it be not at the heart they will die in a while with it yet will at last die with it and that blasting is a whirlwinde that the fayries raises about that persone quhich they intend to wrong quhich may be healed two wayes ether by herbs or by charming.» — de un interrogatorio escocés: la distinción técnica entre el disparo feérico, sin remedio, y el torbellino, curable con hierbas o ensalmo. Es la clase de saber sistemático que ella toma por doctrina de un culto.

«Donald McIlmichall was tried 'for that horrid cryme of corresponding with the devill'; the whole evidence being that he entered a fairy hill where he met many men and women 'and he playd on trumps to them quhen they danced'.» — de las Highlands: un proceso por trato con el diablo cuya única prueba es haber tocado música para un baile dentro de un túmulo. La desproporción entre cargo y prueba es lo que ella señala.

«It was the common rumour that Elphin Irving came not into the world like the other sinful creatures of the earth, but was one of the Kane-bairns of the fairies, whilk they had to pay to the enemy of man's salvation every seventh year.» — de la tradición escocesa: los niños de tributo que las hadas debían entregar cada siete años. Es la creencia sobre la que ella monta el sacrificio septenal del apéndice.

«Dit que le Sabbat se tenoit dans vne maison, où il vit à la cheminée» — del proceso de Orleans de 1614 que reproduce entero en el Apéndice II: el sabbat se celebra en una casa. La domesticidad del escenario es lo primero que salta del expediente.

«Il y auoit 200. personnes tous masquez, excepté vn nommé Ferrand.» — del mismo expediente: doscientas personas, todas enmascaradas salvo una a la que el declarante nombra. Es el dato que sostiene la lectura del enmascaramiento como norma.

«Gentil ou Gentiẽ le Clerc dit, que sa mère le presenta (dit-on) en l'aage de trois ans au Sabbat, à vn bouc, qu'on appelloit l'Aspic.» — del mismo proceso: presentado por su madre a los tres años. El paréntesis *dit-on* es del propio expediente y marca que el declarante lo sabe de oídas.

«Interrogé ledit Neuillon par ledit Lieutenant Criminel, si à son aduis vn Iuge pourroit faire prendre lesdites Marionettes, veu que ce sont Demons familliers.» — del interrogatorio de Orleans: el juez pregunta al acusado si sería posible incautar sus marionetas. La pregunta muestra que el tribunal las tenía por objetos reales.

«Respond qu'vn bon Iuge pourroit bien faire emporter lesdites Marionettes, d'autant qu'elles craignent fort les bons Iuges: mais qu'vn Iuge qui ne feroit pas bien la Iustice, ny gagneroit rien, & que les Sorciers peuuent ensorceller vn meschant Iuge, parce que Dieu l'a abandonné.» — la respuesta del acusado, que devuelve la pregunta convertida en advertencia moral al tribunal: sólo un juez justo podría llevárselas.

«Et quand ledit homme noir a ietté, ou iette de l'eau beniste, chacun des assistans, se iette en terre comme on faict à l'Eglise sur la fosse des trespassez, auec vn morceau de hou qui a trois feuilles au bout.» — del mismo expediente: agua bendita, postración como en un funeral y una rama de acebo de tres hojas. La liturgia paralela es lo que ella quiere hacer ver.

«Qu'au Sabbat on y blasphemoit souuent, disant chardieu, c'est vne belle chose qu'ils font blanchir pour qu'on la voye de plus loing, & puis la mangent, & quand ils l'ont mangé il n'y en a plus, que les Prestres font cela pour amuser le monde, & que c'est vn beau Ianicot, qu'il y auoit plus d'acquest en sa Marionette qu'en Dieu.» — del mismo expediente: una burla razonada de la eucaristía, con el nombre Ianicot que Murray enlaza con el Janus de su introducción.

«Cependant Gentien le Clerc seul, fut condamné par Arrest du 4 Feurier 1615.» — el desenlace del proceso de Orleans, con la fecha del fallo. Ella reproduce el expediente hasta la sentencia.

«Anatole France has realized that behind Joan there lay some unseen power, which Charles VII feared and from which he unwillingly accepted help.» — de Anatole France, cuyo estudio de Juana toma como punto de partida; le concede el diagnóstico y le disputa la identificación.

«'We have caught her now', said the Bishop of Beauvais, and she was burned without even the formality of handing her over to the secular authorities.» — la frase del obispo de Beauvais al saber que Juana había vuelto a vestirse de hombre, y la irregularidad del procedimiento que siguió.

«Pressed for a description, she said he came 'in the form of a true honest man' [tres vray preudomme, forma unius verissimi probi hominis].» — de las actas del proceso: la descripción que Juana da de san Miguel, en francés y en latín. Es la frase de la que Murray hace su prueba de que las Voces eran personas.

«On the Sunday she wore the dress, on the Monday she was condemned, on the Tuesday the sentence was communicated to her, on the Wednesday she was burned, as an 'idolator, apostate, heretic, relapsed'.» — la cronología de cuatro días que ella extrae del expediente; la rapidez es su argumento, y los cuatro cargos vienen del fallo.

«When he first entered her presence 'he made the sign of the cross and sprinkled holy water, and I said to him, Approach boldly, I shall not fly away.'» — del proceso: la respuesta de Juana al fraile Ricardo que la asperjó con agua bendita antes de acercarse. Murray la trae como muestra de lo que el clero temía de ella.

«Many times she said to him [the King], I shall live a year, barely longer.» — del testimonio sobre Juana: el anuncio del plazo de su propia vida, que Murray alinea con la figura de la víctima que conoce su destino.

«On the fatal Tuesday when she learned her doom, flesh and spirit quailed at the prospect of the agony to come, and she cried out that her 'Voices' had deceived her, for she had thought that in her imprisonment she had already suffered the promised martyrdom.» — del expediente: el momento de flaqueza y el reproche a las Voces. Ella lo consigna entero, incluido lo que no favorece su lectura.

«In the case of Gilles, two years after the execution the King granted letters of rehabilitation for that 'the said Gilles, unduly and without cause, was condemned and put to death'.» — de las letras reales de rehabilitación de Gilles de Rais, dos años después de la ejecución; el contraste con los veinticinco años que tardó la de Juana es de Murray.

«These prescriptions show that the society of witches had a very creditable knowledge of the art of poisoning: aconite and deadly nightshade or belladonna are two of the three most poisonous plants growing freely in Europe, the third is hemlock, and in all probability 'persil' refers to hemlock and not to the harmless parsley, which it resembles closely.» — del Apéndice V, firmado por el farmacólogo A. J. Clark y no por Murray: las recetas de ungüento suponen un conocimiento real de venenos, y la enmienda de *persil* por cicuta es suya.

«There is no doubt, therefore, about the efficacy of these prescriptions and their ability to produce physiological effects.» — del mismo apéndice de Clark: el dictamen farmacológico es que los ungüentos hacían efecto. Es el apoyo técnico externo del que Murray se sirve sin firmarlo.

«but there is no doubt that alkaloids can be absorbed when rubbed into scratches or into the quick of the nails,» — de Clark, sobre la vía de absorción: por eso importa que las actas hablen de untarse tras rascarse la piel.

«Aconite was one of the best-known poisons in ancient times; indeed it was so extensively used by professional poisoners in Rome during the Empire that a law was passed making its cultivation a capital offence.» — de Clark: la antigüedad del acónito como veneno profesional, con la ley romana que castigaba su cultivo.

«The first preparation, which contains hemlock and aconite, would produce mental confusion, impaired movement, irregular action of the heart, dizziness and shortness of breath.» — de Clark, dictaminando fórmula por fórmula qué efectos cabría esperar de cada receta.

«I cannot say whether any of these drugs would produce the impression of flying, but I consider the use of aconite interesting in this respect.» — de Clark, en primera persona y absteniéndose: no afirma que los ungüentos hicieran volar, señala que el acónito merece atención. La cautela es del farmacólogo, no de Murray.

«Irregular action of the heart in a person falling asleep produces the well-known sensation of suddenly falling through space, and it seems quite possible that the combination of a delirifacient like belladonna with a drug producing irregular action of the heart like aconite might produce the sensation of flying.» — la hipótesis de Clark sobre la sensación de vuelo, con dos frenos encima: la arritmia al dormirse produce la caída, y la mezcla con un delirógeno *podría* dar el vuelo.

Cadena de transmisión (quién tomó de quién) — Sostiene la continuidad de una religión pre-cristiana bajo el cristianismo, probada por autores clásicos, leyes eclesiásticas y registros legales.

Crítica de fuentes (criterios de inclusión y descarte) — Concede que parte del testimonio se obtuvo bajo tortura y con preguntas capciosas, y arguye que aun así queda un resto que no puede despacharse.

Círculo mágico (circulus) — El aquelarre de trece figura entre los detalles que da por no explicables de otro modo.

Daimon (entidad intermedia, ni ángel ni demonio) — El dios del culto no era el diablo: fueron los vencedores quienes lo identificaron con el Principio del Mal.

Iniciación (recepción por grados / metamorfosis del ser) — Dedica un capítulo entero a las ceremonias de admisión.

Transvection (el traslado corporal por seres demoníacos) — Trata el vuelo al sabbat como creencia antigua y universal, reflejada en las leyes eclesiásticas desde el canon del siglo IX, y separa el testimonio de oídas del de las propias declarantes.

Evocación (llamar y constreñir espíritus) — Las palabras mágicas del culto se usaban, según ella, para fines definidos, y el principal era hacer venir al Maestro.

Grimorio (libro de magia) — El libro en que se anotaban las recetas mágicas lo describe como objeto material de gran valor, custodiado por su dueño, resultado de muchos experimentos registrados.

Necromancia (nigromancia) — Sostiene que el jefe indicaba qué tumbas abrir para obtener material mágico y enseñaba cómo usar los restos.

Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — Recoge de las actas de Essex el juramento de no confesar nada aunque la soga estuviera puesta, y lo trata como disciplina de grupo.

Ocultismo (occultisme) — Declara excluido de su estudio todo lo que tiene por contaminación ocultista del asunto, empezando por las historias de fantasmas de los comentaristas.