A story of Gassendi, one of the most distinguished of naturalists, mathematicians, and philosophers of France, in the sixteenth century, will place this solution in a still clearer light. As he was taking a morning walk near Deigne, in Provence, his ears were assailed by repeated exclamations of “A sorcerer! a sorcerer!” On glancing behind him, he beheld a mean and simple-looking man, with his hands tied, whom a mob of the country-people were hurrying to prison. Gassendi’s character and learning had given him great authority with them, and he desired to be left alone with the man. They immediately surrendered him, and Gassendi said to him, in private, “My friend, you must tell me sincerely, whether you have made a compact with the devil or not: if you confess it, I will give you your liberty immediately; but, if you refuse to tell me, I will give you immediately into the hands of a magistrate.” The man answered, “Sir, I will own that I go to a meeting of wizards every day. One of my friends has given me a drug, which I take to effect this, and I have been received as a sorcerer these three years.” He then described the proceedings of these meetings, and spoke of the different devils, as if he had been all his life acquainted with them. “Show me,” said Gassendi, “the drug which you take to attend this infernal meeting, for I intend to go there with you to-night.” The man replied, “As you please, Sir; I will take you at midnight, as soon as the clock strikes twelve.” Accordingly, he met Gassendi at the appointed hour, and, showing him two boluses, each of the size of a walnut, he desired him to swallow one, as soon as Gassendi had seen him swallow the other, and then they lay down together on a goat-skin. The man soon fell asleep, but Gassendi remained awake and watched him, and perceived that he was greatly disturbed in his slumbers, and writhed and twisted his body about, as if he had been troubled by bad dreams. At the expiration of five or six hours he awoke, and said to Gassendi, “I am sure, Sir, you ought to be satisfied with the manner in which the great goat received you; he conferred on you a high honour when he permitted you to kiss his tail the first time he ever saw you.” It was thus apparent that the deleterious opiate had operated upon his imagination. Gassendi, compassionating his weakness and credulity, took pains to convince him of his self-delusion; and, showing him the bolus, he gave it to a dog, who soon fell asleep, and suffered great convulsions. The poor fellow was set at liberty to undeceive his brethren, who had, like him, been lulled by the noxious drug into imagining themselves sorcerers.