Page:Montesquieu - The spirit of laws.djvu/319

Rh Under Manuel Comnenus, the Protestator was accused of having conspired against the emperor, and of having employed for that purpose some secrets that render men invisible. It is mentioned in the life or this emperor that Aaron was detected, as he was poring over a book of Solomon's, the reading of which was sufficient to conjure up whole legions of devils. Now by supposing a power in magic to arm all hell, people look upon a man whom they call a magician as the fittest person in the world to trouble and subvert society, and of course they are disposed to punish him with the utmost severity.

But their indignation increases when magic is supposed to have a power of subverting religion. The history of Constantinople informs us, that in consequence of a revelation made to a bishop of a miracle's having ceased because of the magic practices of a certain person, both that person and his son were put to death. On how many surprizing things did not this single crime depend? That revelations should not be uncommon, that the bishop should be favoured with one, that it was real, that there had been a miracle in the case, that this miracle had ceased, that there was an art magic, that magic could subvert religion, that this particular person was a magician, and in fine, that he had committed that action of magic.

The emperor Theodorus Lascaris attributed his illness to magic. Those who were accused of this crime, had no other resource left than to handle a hot iron without being hurt. Thus among the Greeks a person ought to have been a magician to be able to clear himself of the imputation of magic. Rh