PART II., QUESTION I.
CHAPTER VIIIOf the Manner whereby they Change Men into the Shapes of Beasts.
But that witches, by the power of
devils, change men into the shapes of beasts (for this is their chief manner
of transmutation), although it has been sufficiently proved in the First Part
of the work, Question 10, Whether witches can do such things: nevertheless,
since that question with its arguments and solutions may be rather obscure to
some; especially since no actual examples are adduced to prove them, and even
the method by which they so transform themselves is not explained; therefore
we add the present exposition by the resolution of several doubts.
And first, that Canon (26, Q. 5,
Episcopi) is not to be understood in this matter in the way in which even many
learned men (but would that their learning were good!) are deceived; who do
not fear to affirm publicly in their sermons that such prestidigitatory
transmutations are in no way possible even by the power of devils. And we have
often said that this doctrine is greatly to the detriment of the Faith, and
strengthens the witches, who rejoice very much in such sermons.
But such preachers, as has been
noted, touch only the outer surface, and fail to reach the inner meaning of
the words of the Canon. For when it says: Whoever believes that any creature
can be made, or can be changed for the better or the worse, or be transformed
into any other shape or likeness except by the Creator Himself Who made all,
is without doubt an infidel. . . .
The reader must here remark two
chief things. First, concerning the words “be made”; and secondly,
concerning the words “be transformed into another likeness.” And as to the
first, it is answered that “be made” can be understood in two ways: namely,
as meaning “be created,” or as in the sense of the natural production of
anything. Now in the first sense it belongs only to God, as is well known, Who
in His infinite might can make something out of nothing.
But in the second sense there is a
distinction to be drawn between creatures; for some are perfect creatures,
like a man, and an ass, etc. And other are imperfect, such as serpents, frogs,
mice, etc., for they can also be generated from putrefaction. Now the Canon
obviously speaks only of the former sort, not of the second; for in the case
of the second it can be proved from what Blessed Albert says in his book On
Animals, where he asks: whether devils can make true animals; and still
with this difference, that they cannot do so in an instant, as God does, but
by some motion, however sudden, as is shown in the case of the Magicians in Exodus
vii. The reader may, if he likes, refer to some of the remarks in the question
we have quoted in the First Part of the work, and in the solution of the first
argument.
Secondly, it is said that they
cannot transmute any creature. You may say that transmutation is of two sorts,
substantial and accidental; and this accidental is again of two kinds,
consisting either in the natural form belonging to the thing which is seen, or
in a form which does not belong to the thing which is seen, but exists only in
the organs and perceptions of him who sees. The Canon speaks of the former,
and especially of formal and actual transmutation, in which one substance is
transmuted into another; and this sort only God can effect, Who is the Creator
of such actual substances. And it speaks also of the second, although the
devil can effect that, in so far as, with God's permission, he causes certain
diseases and induces some appearance on the accidental body. As when a face
appears to be leprous, or some such thing.
But properly speaking it is not
such matters that are in question, but apparitions and glamours, by which
things seem to be transmuted into other likenesses; and we say that the words
of the Canon cannot exclude such transmutations; for their existence is proved
by authority, by reason, and by experience; namely, by certain experiences
related by S. Augustine in Book XVIII, chapter 17, of the De Ciuitate Die,
and by the arguments in explanation of them. For among other prestidigitatory
transformations, he mentions that the very famous Sorceress, Circe, changed
the companions of Ulysses into beasts; and that certain innkeepers' wives had
turned their guests into beasts of burden. He mentions also that the
companions of Diomedes were changed into birds, and for a long time flew about
the temple of Diomedes; and that Praestantius tells it for a fact that his
father said that he had been a packhorse, and had carried corn with other
animals.
Now when the companions of Ulysses
were changed into beasts, it was only in appearance, or deception of the eyes;
for the animal shapes were drawn out of the repository or memory of images,
and impressed on the imaginative faculty. And so imaginary vision was caused,
and through the strong impression on the other senses and organs, the beholder
thought that he saw animals, in the manner of which we have already treated.
But how these things can be done by the devil's power without injury will be
shown later.
But when the guests were changed
into beasts of burden by the innkeepers' wives; and when the father of
Praestantius thought he was a packhorse and carried corn; it is to be noted
that in these cases there were three deceptions.
First, that those men were caused
by a glamour to seem to be changed into beasts of burden, and this change was
caused in the way we have said. Second, that devils invisibly bore those
burdens up when they were too heavy to be carried. Third, that those who
seemed to others to be changed in shape seemed also to themselves to be
changed into beasts; as it happened to Nabuchodonosor, who lived for seven
years eating straw like an ox.
And as to the comrades of Diomedes
being changed into birds and flying round his temple, it is to be said that
this Diomedes was one of the Greeks who went to the siege of Troy; and when he
wished to return home, he was drowned with his comrades in the sea; and then,
at the suggestion of some idol, a temple was built to him that he might be
numbered among the gods; and for a long time, to keep that error alive, devils
in the shape of birds flew about in place of his companions. Therefore that
superstition was one of the glamours we have spoken of; for it was not caused
by the impression of mental images on the imaginative faculty, but by their
flying in the sight of men in the assumed bodies of birds.
But if it is asked whether the
devils could have deluded the onlookers by the above-mentioned method of
working upon the mental images, and not by assuming aerial bodies like flying
birds, the answer is that they could have done so.
For it was the opinion of some (as
S. Thomas tells in the Second Book of Sentences, dist. 8, art. 2) that
no Angel, good or bad, ever assumed a body; but that all that we read in the
Scriptures about their appearances was caused by a glamour, or by the
imaginary vision.
And here the learned Saint notes a
difference between a glamour and imaginary vision. For in a glamour there may
be an exterior object which is seen, but it seems other than it is. But
imaginary vision does not necessarily require an exterior object, but can be
caused without that and only by those inner mental images impressed on the
imagination.
So, following their opinion, the
comrades of Diomedes were not represented by devils in the assumed bodies and
likeness of birds, but only by a fantastic and imaginary vision caused by
working upon those mental images, etc.
But the learned Saint condemns this
as an erroneous and not a simple opinion (though, it is piously believed, it
is not actually heretical), although such appearances of good and bad Angels
may at times have been imaginary, with no assumed body. But, as he says, the
saints are agreed that the Angels also appeared to the actual sight, and such
appearance was in an assumed body. And the scriptural text reads more as if it
speaks of bodily appearance than imaginary or prestidigitatory ones. Therefore
we can say for the present concerning any visions like that of the comrades of
Diomedes: that although those comrades could by the devil's work have appeared
in the imaginary vision of the beholders in the manner we have said, yet it is
rather presumed that they were caused to be seen by devils in assumed aerial
bodies like flying birds; or else that other natural birds were caused by
devils to represent them.