New-York tribune., 1911-01-15

426. Paris: Librairie Dorbon Aint.
NJ. dc Cauzons's undertaking is
planned on generous lines. 1t will oc-
cupy four large volumes. of which the
present one deals with the r-distant
origins of magic and sorcery, their
spread during the Middle Ages, the be-
liefs held concerning them, their prac-
tices, crimes and powers and the meth
ods employed to counteract them. In
Volumes II and III the author will study
the measures taken by ecclesiastical and
civil authorities TO combat the evil while
in his closing volume he will deal with
the magic of the twentieth century.
While confined TO the history Of magic
in France, the work promises to become,
i'm it's larger outlines, a serviceable his
tory of the subject in general as well, If
the contents of this first volume and the
authors constant reference to foreign
authorities can he taken as evidence.
This. NJ. de Cauzons informs us, will
practically be the first history of magic
in France to be published. Works on
magic itself are innumerable, but its his
tory has been neglected thus far, with
the exception of one attempt made early
in the last century, CAIRNS fragmentary
"Histoire de la Magic en- France" which
appeared in 1918. The sources which NJ
de Cauzons has had to rely upon, there
fore, are these books on magic itself,
which he divides into five classes: books
Of rules and recipes for its practic1; ac-
counts Of cases of magic and witch
craft, appartions, etc. the polemic
literature on the subject. affirming or
denying its existence which Increased in
numbers after the Reformation. the
judicial reports Of witch trials. with their
citations Of canon and civil law, and, |
finally, the scientific and medical works
which almost from the very first at
tempted to give natural explanations of
supernatural occurrences and
acts
While the author devotes several intro |
ductory pages to the magic of the East.
Of Greece and Rome, he finds his real
point Of departure in the impetus given
TO the superstition by the contact of
Western Christianity with that of By
Zantium at the end Of the Dark Ages, |
and to the meeting of West and East
caused by the Crusades. The ground |
was prepared. for the heather sprites of
wood and spring and hearth had sur
viyed in the memory Of the converted
peoples of the Vest The Church had
banished them 10 the neither regions,
changed them into imps Of darkness, !
but it's lowly followers knew better
They still offered hospitality of meat
and drink to the fairies that brought
gifts TO the new born; all these invisible
friends and enemies of theirs were too
securely anchored in their tribal mem |
DRY 10 be forgotten. And, curiously |
enough, there were theologians, perhaps |
Of their own race. who tolerated these |
gnomes and kobolds and fairies and |
imps. and without reasoning why or
how. allowed them to dwell, provisorily |
at least, somewhere between Heaven and |
Sheol.
In fact, the attitude of the theologians |
i'm their warfare against magic did much |
to foster il. aside from their fundamental |
assumption that it was true Their !
hair splitting on the subject of appa- |
ritions sufficiently proves the confusion |
existing in their own minds. Some held |
that the soul itself appeared with the |
sanction OF the Deity; others denied this, |
but propounded the theory that God sent |
other spirits: still others said il was the |
devil who caused their appearance and /
there was also a generously vague theory |
that apparitions might proceed from |
either source. ON one point alone they |
were all agreed. and that was denuncia- |
tion Of the impious mortals who dared to |
deny the reality Of apparitions alto /
gether The faith in the apparitions |
vouchsafed TO the saints. the miracles |
they worked, served to keep alive and /
strengthen the popular belief in counter