here；　too；　rain　followed　and　threatened　to　ruin　the　harvest；　　here；　too；　a　party　of　men；　mostly　peasants；　dug　up　the　body　in　the　　church；　and　immediately　the　clouds　departed　and　the　sun　shone'so　　gracious　was　fortune　to　the　opinion　of　the　people；'　adds　the　great　　scholar。　The　corpse　was　first　cast　into　unhallowed　ground；　the　next　day　　dug　up；　and　after　a　horrible　procession　through　the　city　thrown　into　　the　Arno。
  These　facts　and　the　like　bear　a　popular　character；　and　might　have　　occurred　in　the　tenth；　just　as　well　as　in　the　sixteenth　century。　But　　now　comes　the　literary　influence　of　antiquity。　We　know　positively　that　　the　humanists　were　peculiarly　accessible　to　prodigies　and　auguries；　and　　instances　of　this　have　been　already　quoted。　If　further　evidence　were　　needed；　it　would　be　found　in　Poggio。　The　same　radical　thinker　who　　denied　the　rights　of　noble　birth　and　the　inequality　of　men；　not　only　　believed　in　all　the　mediaeval　stories　of　ghosts　and　devils；　but　also　in　　prodigies　after　the　ancient　pattern；　like　those　said　to　have　occurred　　on　the　last　visit　of　Pope　Eugenius　IV　to　Florence。　'Near　Como　there　　were　seen　one　evening　four　thousand　dogs；　who　took　the　road　to　Germany；　　these　were　followed　by　a　great　herd　of　cattle；　and　these　by　an　army　on　　foot　and　horseback；　some　with　no　heads　and　some　with　almost　invisible　　heads；　and　then　a　gigantic　horseman　with　another　herd　of　cattle　behind　　him。'　Poggio　also　believes　in　a　battle　of　magpies　and　jackdaws。　He　even　　relates；　perhaps　without　being　aware　of　it；　a　well…preserved　piece　of　　ancient　mythology。　On　the　Dalmatian　coast　a　Triton　had　appeared；　　bearded　and　horned；　a　genuine　sea…satyr；　ending　in　fins　and　a　tail；　he　　carried　away　women　and　children　from　the　shore；　till　five　stout…hearted　　washerwomen　killed　him　with　sticks　and　stones。　A　wooden　model　of　the　　monster；　which　was　exhibited　at　Ferrara；　makes　the　whole　story　credible　　to　Poggio。　Though　there　were　no　more　oracles；　and　it　was　no　longer　　possible　to　take　counsel　of　the　gods；　yet　it　became　again　the　fashion　　to　open　Virgil　at　hazard；　and　take　the　passage　hit　upon　as　an　omen　　（'Sorted　Virgilianae'）。　Nor　can　the　belief　in　daemons　current　in　the　　later　period　of　antiquity　have　been　without　influence　on　the　　Renaissance。　The　work　of　Iamblichus　or　Abarnmon　on　the　Mysteries　of　the　　Egyptians；　which　may　have　contributed　to　this　result；　was　printed　in　a　　Latin　translation　at　the　end　of　the　fifteenth　century。　The　Platonic　　Academy　at　Florence　was　not　free　from　these　and　other　neoplatonic　　delusions　of　the　Roman　decadence。　A　'few　words　must　here　be　given　to　　the　belief　in　demons　and　to　the　magic　which　was　connected　with　this　　belief。
  The　popular　faith　in　what　is　called　the　spirit…world　was　nearly　the　　same　in　Italy　as　elsewhere　in　Europe。　In　Italy　as　elsewhere　there　were　　ghosts；　that　is；　reappearances　of　deceased　persons；　and　if　the　view　　taken　of　them　differed　in　any　respect　from　that　which　prevailed　in　the　　North；　the　difference　betrayed　itself　only　in　the　ancient　name　'ombra。'　　Even　nowadays　if　such　a　shade　presents　itself；　a　couple　of　Masses　are　　said　for　its　repose。　That　the　spirits　of　bad　men　appear　in　a　dreadful　　shape；　is　a　matter　of　course；　but　along　with　this　we　find　the　notion　　that　the　ghosts　of　the　departed　are　universally　malicious。　The　dead；　　says　the　priest　in　a　novel　of　Bandello；　kill　the　little　children。　It　　seems　as　if　a　certain　shade　was　here　thought　of　as　separate　from　the　　soul；　since　the　latter　suffers　in　Purgatory；　and　when　it　appears；　does　　nothing　but　wail　and　pray。　At　other　times　what　appears　is　not　the　ghost　　of　a　man；　but　of　an　event　…　…of　a　past　condition　of　things。　So　the　　neighbors　explained　the　diabolical　appearances　in　the　old　palace　of　the　　Visconti　near　San　Giovanni　in　Conca；　at　Milan；　since　here　it　was　that　　Bernab　　Visconti　had　caused　countless　victims　of　his　tyranny　to　be　　tortured　and　strangled；　and　no　wonder　if　there　were　strange　things　to　　be　seen。　One　evening　a　swarm　of　poor　people　with　candles　in　their　hands　　appeared　to　a　dishonest　guardian　of　the　poor　at　Perugia；　and　danced　　round　about　him；　a　great　figure　spoke　in　threatening　tones　on　their　　behalf；　it　was　St。　Alo；　the　patron　saint　of　the　poorhouse。　These　modes　　of　belief　were　so　much　a　matter　of　course　that　the　poets　could　make　use　　of　them　as　something　which　every　reader　would　understand。　The　　appearance　of　the　slain　Lodovico　Pico　under　the　walls　of　the　besieged　　Mirandola　is　finely　represented　by　Castiglione。　It　is　true　that　poetry　　made　the　freest　use　of　these　conceptions　when　the　poet　himself　had　　outgrown　them。
  Italy；　too；　shared　the　belief　in　demons　with　the　other　nations　of　the　　Middle　Ages。　Men　were　convinced　that　God　sometimes　allowed　bad　spirits　　of　every　class　to　exercise　a　destructive　influence　on　parts　of　the　　world　and　of　human　life。　The　only　reservation　made　was　that　the　man　to　　whom　the　Evil　One　came　as　tempter；　could　use　his　free　will　to　resist。　　In　Italy　the　demonic　influence；　especially　as　shown　in　natural　events；　　easily　assumed　a　character　of　poetical　greatness。　In　the　night　before　　the　great　inundation　of　the　Val　d'Arno　in　1333；　a　pious　hermit　above　　Vallombrosa　heard　a　diabolical　tumult　in　his　cell；　crossed　himself；　　stepped　to　the　door；　and　saw　a　crowd　of　black　and　terrible　knights　　gallop　by　in　amour。　When　conjured　to　stand；　one　of　them　said：　'We　go　to　　drown　the　city　of　Florence　on　account　of　its　sins；　if　God　will　let　us。'　　With　this；　the　nearly　contemporary　vision　at　Venice　（1340）　may　be　　compared；　out　of　which　a　great　master　of　the　Venetian　school；　probably　　Giorgione；　made　the　marvelous　picture　of　a　galley　full　of　daemons；　　which　speeds　with　the　swiftness　of　a　bird　over　the　stormy　lagoon　to　　destroy　the　sinful　island…city；　till　the　three　saintS；　who　have　stepped　　unobserved　into　a　poor　boatman's　skiff；　exorcised　the　fiends　and　sent　　them　and　their　vessel　to　the　bottom　of　the　waters。
  To　this　belief　the　illusion　was　now　added　that　by　means　of　magical　arts　　it　was　possible　to　enter　into　relations　with　the　evil　ones；　and　use　　their　help　to　further　the　purposes　of　greed；　ambition；　and　sensuality。　　Many　persons　were　probably　accused　of　doing　so　before　the　time　when　it　　was　actually　attempted　by　many；　but　when　the　so…called　magicians　and　　witches　began　to　be　burned；　the　deliberate　practice　of　the　black　art　　became　more　frequent。　With　the　smoke　of　the　fires　in　which　the　　suspected　victims　were　sacrificed；　were　spread　the　narcotic　fumes　by　　which　numbers　of　ruined　characters　were　drugged　into　magic；　and　with　　them　many　calculating　impostors　became　associated。
  The　primitive　and　popular　form　in　which　the　superstition　had　probably　　lived　on　uninterruptedly　from　the　time　of　the　Romans；　was　the　art　of　　the　witch_（strege）。_The　witch；　so　long　as　she　limited　herself　to　mere　　divination；　might　be　innocent　enough。　were　it　not　that　the　transition　　from　prophecy　to　active　help　could　easily；　though　often　imperceptibly；　　be　a　fatal　downward　step。　She　was　credited　in　such　a　case　not　only　with　　the　power　of　exciting　love　or　hatred　between　man　and　woman；　but　also　　with　purely　destructive　and　malignant　arts；　and　was　especially　charged　　with　the　sickness　of　little　children；　even　when　the　malady　obviously　　came　from　the　neglect　and　stupidity　of　the　parents。　It　is　still　　questionable　how　far　she　was　supposed　to　act　by　mere　magical　ceremonies　　and　formula；　or　by　a　conscious　alliance　with　the　fiends；　apart　from　the　　poisons　and　drugs　which　she　administered　with　a　full　knowledge　of　their　　effect。
  The　more　innocent　form　of　the　superstition；　in　which　the　mendicant　　friar　could　venture　to　appear　as　the　competitor　of　the　witch；　is　shown　　in　the　case　of　the　witch　of　Gaeta　whom　we　read　of　in　Pontano。　His　　traveller　Suppatius　reaches　her　dwelling　while　she　is　giving　audience　　to　a　girl　and　a　servingmaid；　who　come　to　her　with　a　black　hen；　nine　　eggs　laid　on　a　Friday；　a　duck；　and　some　white　thread；　for　it　is　the　　third　day　since　the　new　moon。　They　are　then　sent　away；　and　bidden　to　　come　again　at　twilight。　It　is　to　be　hoped　that　nothing　worse　than　　divination　is　intended。　The　mistress　of　the　servant…maid　is　pregnant　by　　a　monk；　the　girl's　lover　has　proved　untrue　and　has　gone　into　a　　monastery。　The　witch　complains：　'Since　my　husband's　death　I　support　　myself　in　this　way；　and　should　make　a　good　thing　of　it；　since　the　　Gaetan　women　have　plenty　of　faith；　were　it　not　that　the　monks　balk　me　　of　my　gains　by　explaining　dreams；　appeasing　the　anger　of　the　saints　for　　money；　promising　husbands　to　the　girls；　men…children　to　the　pregnant　　women；　offspring　to　the　barren；　and　besides　all　this　visiting　the　women　　at　night　when　their　husbands　are　away　fishing；　in　accordance　with　the　　assignations　made　in　daytime　at　church。'　Suppatius　warns　her　against　　the　envy　of　the　monastery；　but　she　has　no　fear；　since　the　guardian　of　　it　is　an　old　acquaintance　of　hers。
  But　the　superstition　further　gave　rise　to　a　worse　sort　of　witches；　　namely　those　who　deprived　men　of　their　health　and　life。　In　these　cases　　the　mischief；　when　not　sufficiently　accounted　for　by　the　evil　eye　and　　the　like；　was　naturally　attributed　to　the　aid　of　powerful　spirits。　The　　punishment；　as　we　have　seen　in　the　case　of　Finicella；　was　the　stake；　　and　yet　a　compromise　with　fanaticism　was　sometimes　practi