4525.
About magical arts, how absurd they are
I was shown what the arts of magic are like, that they are absolutely absurd. They are like soothsayers, moving and twisting their hips and feet in various ways, then their body, and arms, and especially folding their hands, putting them on their heads, turning themselves around toward the different quarters, taking into account that certain things in the world of spirits interact with these gestures. Thus other evil spirits are present, the latter and the former in their own quarters, some with augur's staffs are most absurd soothsayers: they throw themselves face down, roll themselves around, make themselves invisible.
Others, however, practice magical arts by pouring out breath, then at the same time thinking about some subject, such as the blood, or the animate spirits, or some other matter, and observe that such tricks have an effect on the feelings, which, even though they are poisonous and magical, they breathe into others, whose comprehension goes no farther than being moved by whatever they imagine to be good. Adlerheim.
4525. CONCERNING MAGICAL ARTS WHICH ARE ABUSED.
I was shown the quality of [certain] magical arts which are most absurd. They were like those of a harlequin. The performers move and twist their loins and feet in various ways, then their bodies and arms; clasping their hands together they put them upon their heads, and then turn themselves to all quarters; they observe that certain things in the world of spirits correspond to these gestures, so that other evil spirits are present, each kind in their own quarters, and some with staves. These harlequins act out the grossest absurdities; they throw themselves down, they roll themselves over, they make themselves scarcely visible; while some exercise magical arts by means of a breathing which they exhale, at the same time fixing their thoughts upon some subject, as the blood, for instance, or the animal spirits, or anything else, observing what effect such things have upon the affections, and these affections, though poisonous and magical, they inspire into others, whose capacity goes no farther than to be affected by whatever they suppose to be good: Adlerheim.
4525. De artibus magicis, quam absurdae
Ostensum mihi quales sunt magicae artes, sunt absurdissimae, sunt sicut harioli, movent vario modo lumbos et pedes, flectunt eos, tum corpus, et brachia, manus imprimis quas plicant, ponunt super caput, se convertunt ad varias plagas, et observant quod talibus gestibus correspondeant quaedam in mundo spirituum, sic adsunt alii mali, hi et illi in suis plagis, quidam cum baculis, sunt absurdissimi harioli: se prosternunt, se circumrotant, se inconspicuos faciunt. Alii autem magicas artes exercent per id quod effundant halitum, et tunc simul cogitant de aliqua re, ut de sanguine, vel de spiritu animali, vel de alia re, et observant quod talia effectum habeant affectionum, quas tametsi venenatas et magicas, inspirant aliis, quorum captus non ultra it, quam ut afficiantur quocunque quod putant bonum, Adlerheim.