"The priest one evening prepared to satisfy me, and desired me to
look for a companion or two. I invited one Vincenzio Romoli, who was
my intimate acquaintance, and he brought with him a native of Pistoia
who cultivated the art of necromancy himself. We repaired to the
Coliseum; and the priest, according to the custom of conjurors, began
to draw circles on the ground, with the most impressive ceremonies
imaginable. He likewise brought with him all sorts of precious
perfumes and fire, with some compositions which diffused noisome and
bad odours. As soon as he was in readiness, he made an opening to
the circle, and took us by the hand, and ordered the other
necromancer, his partner, to throw perfumes into the fire at a proper
time, intrusting the care of the fire and the perfumes to the rest;
and then he began his incantations.
"This ceremony lasted above an hour and a half, when there appeared
several legions of devils, so that the amphitheatre was quite filled
with them. I was busy about the perfumes, when the priest, who knew
that there was a sufficient number of infernal spirits, turned about
to me, and said, 'Benvenuto, ask them something.' I answered, 'Let
them bring me into company with my Sicilian mistress, Angelica.' That
night we obtained no answer of any sort; but I received great
satisfaction in having my curiosity so far indulged.
"The necromancer told me that it was requisite we should go a second
time, assuring me that I should be satisfied in whatever I asked; but
that I must bring with me a boy that had never known woman. I took
with me my apprentice, who was about twelve years of age; with the
same Vincenzio Romoli, who had been my companion the first time, and
one Agnolino Gaddi, an intimate acquaintance, whom I likewise
prevailed on to assist at the ceremony. When we came to the place
appointed, the priest, having made his preparations as before with the
same and even more striking ceremonies, placed us within the circle,
which he had drawn with a more wonderful art and in a more solemn
manner, than at our former meeting. Thus having committed the care of
the perfumes and the fire to my friend Vincenzio, who was assisted by
Gaddi, he put into my hands a pintacolo, or magical chart, and bid me
turn it towards the places to which he should direct me; and under the
pintacolo I held my apprentice. The necromancer, having begun to make
his most tremendous invocations, called by their names a multitude of
demons who were the leaders of the several legions, and questioned
them, by the virtue and power of the eternal, uncreated God, who lives
for ever, in the Hebrew language, as also in Latin and Greek; insomuch
that the amphitheatre was filled, almost in an instant, with demons a
hundred times more numerous than at the former conjuration. Vincenzio
meanwhile was busied in making a fire with the assistance of Gaddi,
and burning a great quantity of precious perfumes. I, by the direction
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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