Bibliotheca, Acta et Scripta Magica: Gründliche Nachrichten, Vol. I

not so much driven by the recognition of its importance, which I did not then grasp so precisely, as I was by a serious desire for the truth. Then, just as there is hardly any subject about which we are told more frequently and at an earlier age than this very one concerning the power of the devil in physical matters, the frequent tales of apparitions, enchantments, possessions, and other effects of the devil, with which I was surrounded even in my youth, as well as what I read about it in books, prompted me even then to investigate this matter thoroughly in order to recognize the truth within it with certainty and clarity. With this intent, I examined the histories that had become known to me from the aforementioned tales precisely, and I inquired of those who could testify to them from experience. I endeavored