Page:Ante-Nicene Christian Library Vol 6.djvu/100

94 desire to have asked from the demons. Then, folding up the paper, and delivering it to the attendant, he sends him away to commit it to the flames, that the ascending smoke may waft the letters to demons. While, however, the attendant is executing this order, [the sorcerer] first removes equal portions of the paper, and on some more parts of it he pretends that demons write in Hebrew characters. Then burning an incense of the Egyptian magicians, termed Cyphi, he takes these [portions of paper] away, and places them near the incense. But [that paper] which the inquirer happens to have written [upon], having placed on the coals he has burned. Then [the sorcerer], appearing to be borne away under divine influence, [and] hurrying into a corner [of the house], utters a loud and harsh cry, and unintelligible to all, ... and orders all those present to enter, crying out [at the same time], and invoking Phryn, or some other demon. But after passing into the house, and when those that were present stood side by side, the sorcerer, flinging the attendant upon a bed, utters to him several words, partly in the Greek, and partly, as it were, the Hebrew language, [embodying] the customary incantations employed by the magicians. [The attendant], however, goes away to make the inquiry. And within [the house], into a vessel full of water [the sorcerer] infusing copperas mixture, and melting the drug, having with it sprinkled the paper that forsooth had [the characters upon it] obliterated, he forces the latent and concealed letters to come once more into light; and by these he ascertains what the inquirer has written down. And if one write with copperas mixture likewise, and having ground a gall nut, use its vapour as a fumigator, the concealed letters would become plain. And if one write with milk, [and] then scorch the paper, and scraping it, sprinkle and rub [what is thus scraped off] upon the letters traced with the milk, these will become plain. And urine likewise, and sauce of brine, and juice of euphorbia, and of