Compendium Maleficarum: The Montague Summers Edition

The Milanese Monk of the Ambrosini, Francesco Maria Guazzo (also known as "Guaccio")didn't so much WRITE his famous best-selling Demonological compendium of the first decade of the 17th century as COMPILE it, taking from myriad more authoritative sources various tasty selections to appease his dark ecclesiastical appetite for outlandish and freakish historical incident and intrigue. His two main sources constantly cited and relied upon to bail him out at difficult moments of religious versus scientific/physical debate, are Martino Del Rio and Nicholas Remy, whom I believe after making an intensive study of his works to be his favorite authors; yet he cites throughout from such varied sources as theological works such as Trithemius; hermetic philosophy such as Ficino; as well as Scientific sources such as the immense 39 volume work of Pliny the Elder's, "Natural History"! All in all I would ask readers not to judge Guazzo's Witchcraft anthology from an ethical standpoint, though this may be difficult for Modern Pagans, but I would plead what benefit can come from serving the servants? I find it sadly ironic and telling that in our so-called "Enlightened" contemporary-day of supposed sympathetic mercies some would burn at the stake the very secular and ecclesiastical court leaders who persecuted and were actually demonic enough, centuries ago, to carry through and burn the Witches of the Renaissance era! Those persecutor of the Renaissance are the greatest historical examples of Black magicians in my humbled opinion! They are the ones who terrified yet controlled by almost magical manipulation sometimes vast crowds that thronged the executions, usually on Friday or Saturdays for local entertainment of course! (which is so sick)... I would beg people (Pagan, Christian, or otherwise) of today not to submit themselves to the very sickness and demonological excess & debauch that allowed our forbears to justify their deplorable actions, and Not Regress to their unreasoned state of disenchanted hatred. Know that GUAZZO however, had nothing or very little to do with any actual burnings or persecutions unless he be blamed for printing this work which caused and spread hysteria even further than it should have ever gone. For that is the power of the written word which the renaissance learned by tragic error and the very trial of souls burned at those almost sacred poles which have become as sacred relics, remnants of human barbarity testifying to the crimes women especially have suffered (see Jule`s Michelet's beautiful history of Witchcraft and Satanism for a profound, poetic & learned sociological History of Women). It is the secular courts that ultimately are responsible for the burnings; though admittedly Pope Innocent VIII's papal Bull put this power into the hands of local authorities so the church is really just as responsible for what happened, and continues to happen in one subtle form of prejudice or genuine hatred in our own day. The hanging

This period of Europe history is the most fascinating to me. We, the heretics, were tortured and hanged or burned. This book is "a guide for witch-hunting" and a historical piece of work. It explains how demons possessed people and how they were purified. Great, simply great.

Yes, you should know that this book is written from a christian point of view. Yes, it is also a manual on witch-hunting. But this book is an historical masterpiece. You should read it as a critic, don't take it too personal; don't let your ego adhere to its pages. It is a sample of traditions from the past, very interesting; a must read!

Excellent historical view of what it took to torture, maim, and brutalize 'witches'. This book contains some very interesting stories, along with instructions on 'prodding' a witch to tell you what you want, nay, need to hear. This is a book for historians and other sociopaths!