Star.
London, England, 1829-01-12 00:00:00

ROYAL COURT OF BOURGES.

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• SORCERTTII l BLACK VI HOI I.
Our good forefathers did not think with levity on the
subject of witchcraft. They had as strong a faith in it
at the least, as in the m)steries of our holy teligiie
and when a poor devil accused of sorcery fell into the
hands t f the gentlemen of the Parliament, he did not
g,t off with imprisonment and the pillory. Woe to the
fatitic who ti-ought of making a compact with tie
Evil One. He was certainly hanged and choked until
death ensued, and sometimes even burnt alive; and all
'this was by the authority of Parliament. 'Thus. on the
17th Nlay,l6 16s the Parliament of Paris condenued three
inhabitants hf Berry to mae the (mimic honorable, and
afterwards to be hanged and choked for thwct tire
sorcery, of .frequeitting 11:e nocturnal meetings of the
witches, and of prac.i.ing.with the devil. A I;ttle later,
Mmishal d'Ancie w.lb bus thin the square ut Greve' foe
the same hot t able crime.

In the pre.etit day. we neither hang nir burn sop•
corers, but when, by the aid. 4 their pretended super.
nvitral powet, they sec about making dopes, we punish
them as chea:s The power of 'omelets has much
Diminished since lois prac!lce ages conducts them
to the gallows. It will entirely disappear ultra elemen.
tarn ins ruction shell be acne wieet) diffiead. In the
mean tioie observean ezinsple of credulity begotten by
ignorance;
Lruis Reffant and his wife believe firmly in sorcery,
migic, 2nd divinatii n. They are the owters of a house
in the little town of Dun-le-Itt.i. in which they Wife for
A long time resided. The hone is old, and of coon*
is, ri ported in the reighbouthood to conceal ireitUre
a hich the old proprietors hid Ihi re This treasstraskuld
be in the cellar; chat- is a sum-thing. at4east With Ihe
Reffauts, who still seem persuaded ot its saistence, al-
though that persu ision has already cost them,very.dear.
The cifficul y is to discover the place where .this 'pre.
deposit lie,.
In .182.5, Reffaut's ;rife hawing lost some balls of
C ottnn, some one Adsise,f her to betake herst.if tb s
woman. nameJ Pcoclur. a card drawer, of reat re-
putation in the town ot Dun le ltoi. Tne card drawey
did dot enable Madame Itetfaut to find her Cot:ON but
mention was made of the treasure toocefeled in the
ce1146, end the husband of the wise woman said, th.t
he knew a famous :mem s, who. II ever she came
to the town of Dun le It i, would he cute to discover
the tie.isute* in questior. According to his account,
nothing could equal the power of this illustrious tor.
ceress, who was called the Black Virgin. A word of
her mouth caused lost at titles to be f mid, and creosotes
to be discovered. Her hands cured t!.e Kit.g's evil
better than those of the old Kings t f Eta. c.., ~nd her
eyes looked into the future as easily as M the Cote's
i..io his breviary. If ever he should meet with the Blatt
Virgin, in hi. travels, he would be sure to let M idame
ItefLut know, and then the discovery of the treasure
w as cettain.

On the 25th of November, 1827, Porches came to
the Retain.. io Great nea s," said he, “ the Black Vir.
gill is at Dun le Roi, and she consents to use her power
fir )our advantage." fhe same d.y an interview cork
piece at the in of P. miler. The nit tritons virgin
promised to find the money, but upon a condition which
(lightened Mademoiselle Beffaut. The cond tint. con.
.isted in making a compact with Lucifer. Madame
Raba refused, fearing for the safety of her soul, and
alarmed at,the consequences which might result from
so terrible a proceeding. She returned home. and her
husba d was of opinion tb. t she had done well in net
consenting to enter into die compact which the sorceress
imposed.
The next day, however, Pcrcher went to Ittirant's,
and blamed them for their fears, telling them to come
to his hou e, where they se ould find the Black Virgins
who perhaps would I ropo,e another means of finding
the treasure. ' ThL iteffaut.;who parted to be in p6s-
sessi. n of their chimera, yielded to his saieitatiens, and
went to his house These the Black Virgin, who only
desired to .clo him service, consented to make herself
.tbe compact, which frightened them. A compact. is
necessary—absolutely indispensable—to the sums of

. _
witcticiaft, but a coin- pita with the Devil is "net an
Affair devoid•. of• tit:lgen It was necessary drat she
Virgin should be recompensed for her trouble and the
peril she._was akout to encounter ; and all things taken
.►ito consideration, she could not make the compact for
less than 3,000 francs. The Reffabts think the 'Mick
Virgin unreasonable; 3,000 haves rs almr•st all they
pisses'. She asks more then they can give. Tire Vu.
gin replies that she has fixed a fair price; nerethelass,
in consideration ul their small lrrtune, and Irom regard
to the solicita.iuncot Porches-, she wi:l content treiself
with 1,500 francs ;but they ain't he paid immediately,

because they are wanted in the magical operations
which she is about to perform. The Reif:tots:have
not 1,500 francs; but.,Poicher. ob,ertiog that they
could raise them on the asurtgage of their house,
they, accordingly, on the Sti of December, sign the
necessary deeds before M. Resmond, a notary, to
whom, however, they were awful not to say Wow
they intehded to employ thee monet. The' same
night at eleven- o'clock the cabalistic operistions were
to commence. At the appointed hour Poiches's trite
and the Black Virgin proceeded 'to Reffant's home.