The next day, November 25th, the bailiff and the majority of the
officers of the two jurisdictions came to the convent once more, and
were all conducted to the choir. In a few moments the curtains behind
the grating were drawn back, and the superior, lying on her bed, came to
view. Barre began, as usual, by the celebration of mass, during which
the superior was seized with convulsions, and exclaimed two or three
times, "Grandier! Grandier! false priest!" When the mass was over, the
celebrant went behind the grating, carrying the pyx; then, placing it on
his head and holding it there, he protested that in all he was doing he
was actuated by the purest motives and the highest integrity; that he
had no desire to harm anyone on earth; and he adjured God to strike him
dead if he had been guilty of any bad action or collusion, or had
instigated the nuns to any deceit during the investigation.
The prior of the Carmelites next advanced and made the same declaration,
taking the oath in the same manner, holding the pyx over his head; and
further calling down on himself and his brethren the curse of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram if they had sinned during this inquiry. These
protestations did not, however, produce the salutary effect intended,
some of those present saying aloud that such oaths smacked of sacrilege.
Barre hearing the murmurs, hastened to begin the exorcisms, first
advancing to the superior to offer her the holy sacrament: but as soon
as she caught sight of him she became terribly convulsed, and attempted
to drag the pyx from his hands. Barre, however, by pronouncing the
sacred words, overcame the repulsion of the superior, and succeeded in
placing the wafer in her mouth; she, however, pushed it out again with
her tongue, as if it made her sick; Barge caught it in his fingers and
gave it to her again, at the same time forbidding the demon to make her
vomit, and this time she succeeded in partly swallowing the sacred
morsel, but complained that it stuck in her throat. At last, in order to
get it down, Barge three times gave her water to drink; and then, as
always during his exorcisms, he began by interrogating the demon.
"Per quod pactum ingressus es in corpus hujus puellae?" (By what pact
didst thou enter the body of this maiden?)
"Aqua" ( By water), said the superior.
One of those who had accompanied the bailiff was a Scotchman called
Stracan, the head of the Reformed College of Loudun. Hearing this
answer, he called on the demon to translate aqua into Gaelic, saying if
he gave this proof of having those linguistic attainments which all bad
spirits possess, he and those with him would be convinced that the
possession was genuine and no deception. Barre, without being in the
least taken aback, replied that he would make the demon say it if God
permitted, and ordered the spirit to answer in Gaelic. But though he
repeated his command twice, it was not obeyed; on the third repetition
the superior said--
"Nimia curiositas" (Too much curiosity), and on being asked again,
said--
"Deus non volo."
This time the poor devil went astray in his conjugation, and confusing
the first with the third person, said, "God, I do not wish," which in
the context had no meaning. "God does not wish," being the appointed
answer.
The Scotchman laughed heartily at this nonsense, and proposed to Barre
to let his devil enter into competition with the boys of his seventh
form; but Barre, instead of frankly accepting the challenge in the
devil's name, hemmed and hawed, and opined that the devil was justified
in not satisfying idle curiosity.
"But, sir, you must be aware," said the civil lieutenant, "and if you
are not, the manual you hold in your hand will teach you, that the gift
of tongues is one of the unfailing symptoms of true possession, and the
power to tell what is happening at a distance another."
"Sir," returned Barre, "the devil knows the language very well, but,
does not wish to speak it; he also knows all your sins, in proof of
which, if you so desire, I shall order him to give the list."
"I shall be delighted to hear it," said the civil lieutenant; "be so
good as to try the experiment."
Barre was about to approach the superior, when he was held back by the
bailiff, who remonstrated with him on the impropriety of his conduct,
whereupon Barre assured the magistrate that he had never really intended
to do as he threatened.
However, in spite of all Barre's attempts to distract the attention of
the bystanders from the subject, they still persisted in desiring to
discover the extent of the devil's knowledge of foreign languages, and
at their suggestion the bailiff proposed to Barre to try him in Hebrew
instead of Gaelic. Hebrew being, according to Scripture, the most
ancient language of all, ought to be familiar to the demon, unless
indeed he had forgotten it. This idea met with such general applause
that Barre was forced to command the possessed nun to say aqua in
Hebrew. The poor woman, who found it difficult enough to repeat
correctly the few Latin words she had learned by rote, made an impatient
movement, and said--
"I can't help it; I retract" (Je renie).
These words being heard and repeated by those near her produced such an
unfavourable impression that one of the Carmelite monks tried to explain
them away by declaring that the superior had not said "Je renie," but
"Zaquay," a Hebrew word corresponding to the two Latin words, "Effudi
aquam" (I threw water about). But the words "Je renie" had been heard so
distinctly that the monk's assertion was greeted with jeers, and the
sub-prior reprimanded him publicly as a liar. Upon this, the superior
had a fresh attack of convulsions, and as all present knew that these
attacks usually indicated that the performance was about to end, they
withdrew, making very merry over a devil who knew neither Hebrew nor
Gaelic, and whose smattering of Latin was so incorrect.
However, as the bailiff and civil lieutenant were determined to clear up
every doubt so far as they still felt any, they went once again to the
convent at three o'clock the same afternoon. Barre came out to meet
them, and took them for a stroll in the convent grounds. During their
walk he said to the civil lieutenant that he felt very much surprised
that he, who had on a former occasion, by order of the Bishop of
Poitiers, laid information against Grandier should be now on his side.
The civil lieutenant replied that he would be ready to inform against
him again if there were any justification, but at present his object was
to arrive at the truth, and in this he felt sure he should be
successful. Such an answer was very unsatisfactory to Barre; so, drawing
the bailiff aside, he remarked to him that a man among whose ancestors
were many persons of condition, several of whom had held positions of
much dignity in the Church, and who himself held such an important
judicial position, ought to show less incredulity in regard to the
possibility of a devil entering into a human body, since if it were
proved it would redound to the glory of God and the good of the Church
and of religion. The bailiff received this remonstrance with marked
coldness, and replied that he hoped always to take justice for his
guide, as his duty commanded. Upon this, Barre pursued the subject no
farther, but led the way to the superior's apartment.
Just as they entered the room, where a large number of people were
already gathered, the superior, catching sight of the pyx which Barre
had brought with him, fell once more into convulsions. Barre went
towards her, and having asked the demon as usual by what pact he had
entered the maiden's body, and received the information that it was by
water, continued his examination as follows:
"Quis finis pacti" (What is the object of this pact?)
"Impuritas" (Unchastity).
At these words the bailiff interrupted the exorcist and ordered him to
make the demon say in Greek the three words, 'finis, pacti, impuritas'.
But the superior, who had once already got out of her difficulties by an
evasive answer, had again recourse to the same convenient phrase, "Nimia
curiositas," with which Barre agreed, saying that they were indeed too
much given to curiosity. So the bailiff had to desist from his attempt
to make the demon speak Greek, as he had before been obliged to give up
trying to make him speak Hebrew and Gaelic. Barre then continued his
examination.
"Quis attulit pactum?" (Who brought the pact?)
"Magus" (The sorcerer).
"Quale nomen magi?" (What is the sorcerer's name?)
"Urbanus" (Urban).
"Quis Urbanus? Est-ne Urbanus papa?"
(What Urban? Pope Urban?)
"Grandier."
"Cujus qualitatis?" (What is his profession?)
"Curcatus."
The enriching of the Latin language by this new and unknown word
produced a great effect on the audience; however, Barre did not pause
long enough to allow it to be received with all the consideration it
deserved, but went on at once.
"Quis attulit aquam pacti?" (Who brought the water of the pact?)
"Magus" (The magician).
"Qua hora?" (At what o'clock?)
"Septima" (At seven o'clock).
"An matutina?" (In the morning?)
"Sego" (In the evening).
"Quomodo intravit?" (How did he enter?)
"Janua" (By the door).
"Quis vidit?" (Who saw him?)
"Tres" (Three persons).
Here Barre stopped, in order to confirm the testimony of the devil,
assuring his hearers that the Sunday after the superior's deliverance
from the second possession he along with Mignon and one of the sisters
was sitting with her at supper, it being about seven o'clock in the
evening, when she showed them drops of water on her arm, and no one
could tell where they came from. He had instantly washed her arm in holy
water and repeated some prayers, and while he was saying them the
breviary of the superior was twice dragged from her hands and thrown at
his feet, and when he stooped to pick it up for the second time he got a
box on the ear without being able to see the hand that administered it.
Then Mignon came up and confirmed what Barre had said in a long
discourse, which he wound up by calling down upon his head the most
terrible penalties if every word he said were not the exact truth. He
then dismissed the assembly, promising to drive out the evil spirit the
next day, and exhorting those present to prepare themselves, by
penitence and receiving the holy communion, for the contemplation of the
wonders which awaited them.