zauberbibliothek

Updated: May 29, 2025

The original manuscript does indeed contain several accounts which at first sight may have led to this mistake; besides, the handwriting is extremely difficult to read, and in several places the paper is discoloured and decayed. It is my intention to publish this trial also, as it possesses very great psychological interest. Horst, Zauberbibliothek, vi. p. 231.

Wilhelm Meinhold - Mary Schweidler, the amber witch : the most interesting trial for witchcraft ever known, printed from an imperfect manuscript by her father, Abraham Schweidler, the pastor of Coserow in the island of Usedom / edited by W. Meinhold ; translated from the German by Lady Duff Gordon.

One of the persons executed at the first burning, a prostitute, was heard repeating the exorcism, which was supposed to have the power of raising the arch enemy in the form of a goat. This precious specimen of human folly has been preserved by Horst, in his "Zauberbibliothek." It ran as follows, and was to be repeated slowly, with many ceremonies and waivings of the hand:

Charles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 2