AND
Edited by
EDMUND GOLDSMID, F.R.H.S.,
F.S.A. (Scot.)
VOL. II.
PRIVATELY PRINTED.
EDINBURGH.
1887.
_This Edition is limited to 275 small-paper copies, and 75 large-paper
copies._
[Illustration]
The Devils of Loudun.
_PART II._
THE declaration of the Evil Spirit could not fail to make a great
commotion, and to have results which required precautions to be taken
at once. The Canon, like a wise man, put himself in communication
with Justice, and informed the magistrates of what was passing at
the convent, on the 11th October, 1632. Grandier, prepared for all
contingencies, had already taken his measures. Many of the magistrates
belonged to the new religion and were favourable to him, looking
upon him as a secret adherent; they served him as he expected. At
the same time, he made all possible use of his extraordinary talents
for pettifogging, presented petition on petition, questioned every
statement of the exorcists and of the nuns, threatened their confessor
Mignon, complained that his reputation was attacked, and that the means
were thus taken from him of doing the good his position required, and
demanded that the nuns should be locked up and the exorcisms be put an
end to. He knew well enough that his demands were out of the question,
and that civil justice has nothing to do with the exercise of religious
functions. But he wished, if possible, to embarrass the exorcists, and
commit the judges with the bishops, or, at any rate, throw discord
among them, and give his Calvinists an opportunity of crying out; he
succeeded.
The magistrates separated. Only those who were favourable to him
remained: the rest ceased to appear at the exorcisms, and Mignon
soon withdrew from the convent. Excitement rose in the public mind,
a thousand arguments on this or that side permeated the town, and a
thousand quarrels took place on all sides.
This excitement, however, and these disputes settled nothing, and the
exorcisms, which continued, had no better result. Grandier triumphed,
and his friends admired his wit, his skill, and proclaimed aloud that
he could be convicted of nothing, not even as regards women, although
they knew well how far he had gone in this matter. Until now, the Court
had taken no notice of the affair; but the noise it had made in the
world since the first days of October 1632 had reached the Queen's
ears. She requested information, and the Abbé Marescot, one of her
chaplains, was sent to examine into the matter and report to her. He
arrived at Loudun on the 28th November, and witnessed what was going
on. No immediate consequences followed: but an incident soon occurred,
which caused a sudden change in the position of affairs.
The King had resolved to raze the castles and fortresses existing in
the heart of the kingdom, and commissioned M. de Laubardemont to see to
the demolition of that of Loudun. He arrived, and saw what a ferment
the town was in, the animosity that reigned there, and the kind of man
who caused the commotion. The complaints of those who were victims of
the debaucheries, of the pride, or of the vengeance of the curate,
touched him, and it seemed to him important to put an end to the
scandal. On his return he informed the King and the Cardinal-Minister
of the facts: Louis XIII., naturally pious and just, perceived the
greatness of the evil, and deemed it his duty to put a stop to it.
He appointed M. de Laubardemont to investigate the matter without
appeal; with orders to choose in the neighbouring jurisdictions the
most straightforward and learned judges. The Commission is dated 30th
November, 1633.
Nothing less was needed to bring to justice a man upheld by a
seditious and enterprising party, and so well versed in the details of
_chicannerie_: an art always shameful in any man, but especially to an
ecclesiastic. The King issued at the same time two decrees, to arrest
and imprison Grandier and his accomplices. Armed with such powers, the
Commissioner did not fear to attack a man who had so often succeeded
in gaining either a nonsuit on some question of form, or in turning
accusations to his own advantage, or else dragging out proceedings to
such a length as to weary his adversaries and his judges.
The Calvinists, already irritated at the razing of the Castle which
served them as a rallying place in times of rebellion, cried out
against this new tribunal, because they saw that it was the sole means
of rendering useless the knaveries of their friend. But they cried out
much louder when the Commissioner arrested the accused, without waiting
for informations, and seized all his papers. As if it were not well
known that, in criminal matters, this mode of proceeding is usual. In
this case it was absolutely necessary. For, without this precaution,
Grandier might have fled, and defended himself from afar, engaging the
attention of judges, who had plenty of work elsewhere. He might even
have raised tumults in the city, which might have necessitated violent
remedies.
These precautions being taken, the Commissioner commenced his
investigation, and proceeded to hear witnesses on the 17th December,
1633.
The Commissioner now learned of what Grandier and his party were
capable. The witnesses were so intimidated that none would speak, and
it required all the Royal Authority to reassure them. He therefore
issued a proclamation forbidding the intimidation of witnesses, under
penalty of prosecution; and the Bishop of Poitiers having supported
the King's decision, the two priests, Gervais Méchin and Martin
Boulieau, who had been forced to retract their evidence in the former
trial, presented a petition in which they declared that they had been
seduced and constrained by several persons in authority to recall their
evidence, and they now affirmed their first evidence to be true. The
evidence of the nuns was also heard, and that of lay persons of both
sexes, amongst others of two women, the one of whom confessed having
had criminal relations with Grandier, and that he had offered to make
her Princess of Magicians, whilst the second confirmed the evidence of
the first.[7]
As regards the nuns, they deposed that Grandier had introduced himself
into the convent by day and night for four months, without anyone
knowing how he got in; that he presented himself to them whilst
standing at divine service and tempted them to indecent actions both
by word and deed; that they were often struck by invisible persons;
and that the marks of the blows were so visible that the doctors
and surgeons had easily found them, and that the beginning of all
these troubles was signalized by the apparition of Prior Moussaut,
their first confessor. The Mother Superior and seven or eight other
nuns, when confronted with Grandier, identified him, although it was
ascertained that they had never seen him save by magic, and that
he had never had anything to do with their affairs. The two women
formerly mentioned and the two priests maintained the truth of their
evidence. In a word, besides the nuns and six lay women, "sixty
witnesses deposed to adulteries, incests, sacrileges, and other
crimes, committed by the accused, even in the most secret places of
his church, as in the vestry, where the Holy Host was kept, on all days
and at all hours."
It may well be imagined that the mother, brothers and friends of
the accused did not abandon him. They appealed to every possible
authority. The details of these proceedings would be as wearisome as
useless, as the Commissioner, by the very terms of his Commission, was
placed above all such dilatory pettifogging, and therefore refused or
annulled all applications in that direction. He then questioned the
accused as to the facts and articles of accusation, and after having
made him sign his confessions and denials, proceeded to Paris to inform
the Court of what he had done.
The King and his Council thought it right to furnish him with means
to overcome all obstacles to a speedy decision. This precaution
was necessary, for letters from the Bailly of Loudun, Grandier's
chief supporter, to the Procurator-General of the Parliament, were
intercepted, in which it was asserted that the "possession" was an
imposture. The latter's reply was also seized. Monsieur de Laubardemont
returned therefore to Loudun with a Decree of the Council, dated 31st
May 1634, confirming all his powers and _prohibiting Parliament and
all other judges from interfering in this business, and forbidding
all parties concerned from appealing, under penalty of a fine of five
hundred livres_. He caused Grandier to be transferred from the prison
of Augers to that of Loudun, so as to have him at hand to confront with
witnesses, if need be.
But, first of all, he considered it necessary to examine the nuns
carefully; for this purpose, with the consent of the Bishop, he
sequestrated them in different convents, and interrogated them so
severely that one might have thought that they themselves were the
magicians. "He saw them all, the one after the other, for several days;
and listened to their conversations, to observe their mode of thought.
He enquired minutely into their lives, their morals, their behaviour,
not only secular but religious. His depositions, or notes, which
represented the evidence of twenty girls, including a few not nuns,
filled fifty rolls of official paper, and were the admiration of all
judges, so great was the prudence and care they demonstrated."
On the other hand the Bishop of Poitiers, after having sent several
Doctors of Theology to examine the victims, came to Loudun in person,
and exorcised them himself, or had them exorcised by others in his
presence for two months and a half. Never was work done with such care
and attention.
All precognitions over, the Commissioner began to confront the accused
with the witnesses, and the latter maintained, face to face with
Grandier, the evidence they had given against him.
As regard the nuns, it was observed that they never contradicted
themselves, whether questioned together or separately, though they were
examined often, by different persons, and as skilfully as possible.
Now, criminals do not manage this, for the cleverest have the greatest
difficulty in avoiding contradictory statements. Those writers, who
have supported Grandier, have never discovered the least discrepancy in
the evidence of the nuns. Nor did Grandier ever plead malice on their
part as a defence, for they had never seen him, nor had he had anything
to do with their affairs, as we have said.
If, as calumny asserts, the only thing sought was the death of
Grandier, here were sufficient proofs to burn him, if only for abusing
the privileges of his ministry and of his Church, or for the sacrileges
he had committed therein. But justice is not satisfied with punishing
one kind of crime, when she finds traces of another still more
serious. It was moreover a Christian duty to assist the views of God,
who permitted so strange an event, to confound the calumnies of the
protestants, and to prove the demonstration the "possession" of the
nuns, and the magic exercised by the accused. To this the Commissioners
and the other judges applied themselves.
Thus, as it was a matter rather of religion than of jurisprudence, they
resolved to begin by prayer to God, who is the Father of all Light,
rightly considering that all France was watching the trial with eager
eyes, that it was shrouded in a thick veil of obscurity, and that their
verdict would entail important consequences. They therefore prepared
to receive divine assistance and grace by frequent confessions, and
by often receiving the Holy Sacrament. Then they decreed a general
procession to implore celestial aid in so difficult a matter; and, to
excite the devotion of the masses by their example, they went in a
body, during the whole of the trial, to visit the Churches of the city,
set aside by the Bishop for forty hour services, and reached each in
time for the elevation of the host. Thence the Exorcists went to the
Church fixed upon for the Exorcisms, and the judges proceeded to the
tribunal to continue the case; in the evening all returned to church
for evensong.
The examination lasted forty days, during which Demons gave them
the clearest proofs of their presence in the bodies of the persons
exorcised, and every day added new evidence against Grandier, and yet
never said anything against him which did not turn out strictly true.
These assertions merit distinct proof, which will be found interesting.
As regards the presence of Devils in the possessed, the Church
teaches us in its ritual, that there are four principal signs, by
which it can be undoubtedly recognised. These signs are the speaking
or understanding of a language unknown to the person possessed;
the revelation of the future, or of events happening far away; the
exhibition of strength beyond the years and nature of the actor; and
floating in the air for a few moments.
The Church does not require, in order to have recourse to Exorcisms,
that all these marks should be found in the same subject; one alone, if
well authenticated, is sufficient to demand public exorcism.
Now, they are all to be found in the Nuns of Loudun, and in such
numbers that we can only mention the principal cases.
Acquaintance with unknown tongues first showed itself in the
Mother-Superior. At the beginning, she answered in Latin the questions
of the Ritual proposed to her in that language. Later, she and the
others answered in any language they thought proper to question in.
M. de Launay de Razilli, who had lived in America, attested that,
during a visit to Loudun, he had spoken to them in the language of a
certain savage tribe of that country, and that they had answered quite
correctly, and had revealed to him events that had taken place there.
Some gentlemen of Normandy certified in writing that they had
questioned Sister Clara de Sazilli in Turkish, Spanish, and Italian,
and that her answers were correct.
M. de Nismes, Doctor of the Sorbonne, and one of the chaplains of the
Cardinal de Lyon, having questioned them in Greek and German, was
satisfied with their replies in both languages.
Father Vignier, Superior of the Oratory at La Rochelle, bears witness
in his Latin Narrative, that, having questioned Sister Elizabeth a
whole afternoon in Greek, she always replied correctly and obeyed him
in every particular.
The Bishop of Nimes commanded Sister Clara in Greek to raise veil and
to kiss the railings at a certain spot; she obeyed, and did many other
things he ordered, which caused the prelate to exclaim that one must be
an Atheist or lunatic not to believe in "possession."
Some doctors questioned them also as to the meaning of some Greek
technical terms, extremely difficult to explain, and only known to the
most learned men, and they clearly expressed the real signification of
the words.
Lastly, Grandier himself being confronted with them, his Bishop
invested him with the stole to exorcise the Mother Superior, who,
he declared, knew Latin; but he did not dare to question her or the
others in Greek, though they dared him to it; whereon he remained very
embarrassed.[8]
As to the Revelation of hidden matters or of events passing afar off,
proofs are still more abundant. We will only select a few of the most
remarkable.
M. Morin, Prior of St. Jacques de Thouars, having requested M. Morans,
Commissioner appointed by the Bishop of Poitiers to watch over the
possessed, and to assist in the trial of Grandier, to allow some sign
to be given proving _actual infernal possession_, whispered to M. de
Morans that he wished one of the possessed to bring him five rose
leaves. Sister Clara was then away in the refectory; M. de Morans
ordered, in his thoughts, the Demon who possessed her to obey the wish
of M. Morin, for the greater glory of God. Thereupon the Nun left the
refectory, and went into the garden, whence she brought first a pansy
and other plants, and presented them with roars of laughter, saying to
M. de Morans: "Is that what you wish, father? I am not a Devil, to
guess your thoughts."--To which he replied simply: "_Obedias_," obey.
She then returned to the garden, and after several repetitions of the
order, presented through the railings a little rose branch, on which
were six leaves. The Exorcist said to her: "_Obedias punctualiter sub
poenâ maledictionis_," obey to the letter under penalty of malediction;
she then plucked off one leaf, and offered the branch saying: "I see
you will only have five; the other was one too many." The Prior was so
convinced by what he saw, that he went out with tears in his eyes. An
official report of the fact was drawn up.
Madame de Laubardemontalse tried the same experiment, in order to
convince many sceptics who were present; and she was equally successful.
The _Lieutenant-Criminel_ of Orleans, the President Tours,
Lieutenant-General de S. Maixant, and myself[9] also had our curiosity
gratified. I desired that Sister Clara should bring me her beads, and
say an _Ave-Maria_. She first brought a pin, and then some aniseed;
being urged to obey, she said: "I see you want something else," and
then she brought me her beads and offered to say an _Ave-Maria_.
M. Chiron, Prior of Maillezais, desiring to strengthen his belief in
demoniacal possession, begged M. de Morans to allow him to whisper to
a third party the sign he required; and he thereon whispered to M.
de Fernaison, Canon and Provost of the same Church, that he wished
the nun to fetch a missal then lying near the door, and to put her
finger on the introit of the mass of the Holy Virgin, beginning
"Salve, Sancta parens." M. de Morans, who had heard nothing, ordered
Sister Clara, who was likewise ignorant of what had been said, to obey
the intentions of M. Chiron. This young girl then fell into strange
convulsions, blaspheming, rolling on the ground, exposing her person in
the most indecent manner, without a blush, and with foul and lascivious
expressions and actions,[10] till she caused all who looked on to hide
their eyes with shame. Though she had never seen the prior, she called
him by his name, and said he should be her lover. It was only after
many repeated commands, and an hour's struggling, that she took up
the missal, saying: "I will pray." Then, turning her eyes in another
direction, she placed her finger on the capital S at the beginning of
the introit aforesaid, of which facts reports were drawn up.
M. de Milliere, a gentleman of Maine, certified that, being present
at the Exorcism of Sister Clara, and on his knees, the Devil asked
him whether he was saying a _De Profundis_ for his wife, which was
the case. The Marquis de la Mothe, son of M. de Parabel, governor of
Poitou, certified that sister Louise de Nogeret had disclosed his most
secret faults in the presence of Father Tranquille, and of Madame de
Neuillant, his aunt.
The same M. de la Mothe also asked an Exorcist to make Sister Clara,
who was in the convent, come out, kneel down, and say an Ave Maria; she
came after repeated commands, and obeyed.
Chevalier de Meré, who was present, asked the Devil on what day he had
last confessed. The Devil answered Friday. The Chevalier acknowledged
this to be correct; whereupon Sister Clara withdrew. But as he wished
to try the Devil again, he begged the exorcist to make her return,
and whispered some words to the Marquis and the Monk, for the nun to
repeat. The exorcist refused, as the words were indecent. He changed
them, therefore, into _Pater, et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus!_ He
whispered these words so low, that the exorcist could hardly hear them.
The nun, who was in another room, came at the command of the Father,
and addressing the Chevalier, first said the indecent words the monk
had refused, and then repeated several times _Gloria patri et filio et
Spiritui Sancto_. She was ordered to say the words exactly as she had
been desired, but she said she would not.
The Bishop of Nîmes, being present at an exorcism by Father Surin,
begged him to order something in difficult Latin; and the Demon
thereupon performed what was wanted.
A Jesuit wishing to try what so many people stated they had
experienced, gave an inward order to a demon who had been exorcised;
and then immediately another. In the space of a second he gave five
or six orders, which he countermanded one after another; and thus
tormented the Devil, who was ordered to obey his intentions. The Demon
repeated his commands aloud, beginning by the first, and adding, "But
you wont," and when he had come to the last he said, "Now let's see
whether we can do this."
"When it rained," says Father Surin, "the Devil used to place the
Mother Superior under the water spout. As I knew this to be a habit of
his, I commanded him mentally to bring her to me; whereupon she used
to come and ask me: 'What do you want.'"
Another thing which struck the Exorcists, was the instantaneous answers
they gave to the most difficult questions of Theology, as to grace, the
vision of God, Angels, the Incarnation and similar subjects, always in
the very terms used in the schools.
The corporal effect of possession is a proof which strikes the coarsest
minds. It has this other advantage, that an example convinces a whole
assembly.[11]
Now the nuns of Loudun gave these proofs daily. When the Exorcist gave
some order to the Devil, the nuns suddenly passed from a state of
quiet into the most terrible convulsions, and without the slightest
increase of pulsation. They struck their chests and backs with their
heads, as if they had had their neck broken, and with inconceivable
rapidity; they twisted their arms at the joints of the shoulder,
the elbow and the wrist two or three times round; lying on their
stomachs they joined their palms of their hands to the soles of their
feet; their faces became so frightful one could not bear to look at
them; their eyes remained open without winking; their tongues issued
suddenly from their mouths, horribly swollen, black, hard, and covered
with pimples, and yet while in this state they spoke distinctly; they
threw themselves back till their heads touched their feet, and walked
in this position with wonderful rapidity, and for a long time. They
uttered cries so horrible and so loud that nothing like it was ever
heard before; they made use of expressions so indecent as to shame the
most debauched of men, while their acts, both in exposing themselves
and inviting lewd behaviour from those present, would have astonished
the inmates of the lowest brothel in the country; they uttered
maledictions against the three Divine Persons of the Trinity, oaths and
blasphemous expressions so execrable, so unheard of, that they could
not have suggested themselves to the human mind. They used to watch
without rest, and fast five or six days at a time, or be tortured twice
a day as we have described during several hours, without their health
suffering; on the contrary, those that were somewhat delicate, appeared
healthier than before their possession.
The Devil sometimes made them fall suddenly asleep: they fell to the
ground and became so heavy, that the strongest man had great trouble in
even moving their heads. Françoise Filestreau having her mouth closed,
one could hear within her body different voices speaking at the same
time, quarrelling, and discussing who should make her speak.
Lastly, one often saw Elizabeth Blanchard, in her convulsions, with her
feet in the air and her head on the ground, leaning against a chair or
a window sill without other support.
The Mother Superior from the beginning was carried off her feet and
remained suspended in the air at the height of 24 inches. A report of
this was drawn up and sent to the Sorbonne, signed by a great number of
witnesses, ecclesiastics and doctors, and the judgement thereon of the
Bishop of Poitiers who was also a witness. The doctors of the Sorbonne
were of the same opinion as the Bishop, and declared that infernal
possession was proved.
Both she and other nuns lying flat, without moving foot, hand, or body,
were suddenly lifted to their feet like statues.