The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

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HISTORY OF THE POPES.
A bull of Pius v., dated February 26th, 1569, expressly
states the fact that the Jews, in particular, made use of
" divination, conjuring, magic arts, and witchcraft," and
led many persons to believe that by such means it was possible
to foretell the future, trace thieves, discover hidden treasure,
and in general obtain knowledge otherwise beyond the reach
of mankind.^ It is well known that Juvenal, in his 14th satire,
speaks of the divination practised by the Jews in Rome.
The Jews often appear as magicians and wizards during the
period of the Renaissance. In Ariosto's comedy, II
Negromante, the hero is a Jew who had been driven out of
Spain, who makes use of his magic arts at the expense of
disappointed or infatuated lovers."
The same bull accuses the Jews of many other crimes, as
well as of dabbling in magic. It states that they are usurers
and are bleeding needy Christians. They afford a refuge to
robbers and brigands, and enable them to dispose of their
streghe in Piemonte dal sec. XIV. al XVI., Extract from n. 18
of the Bulletin de la Soc. d' hist. Vaudoise di 1 owe Pellice,
Pinerolo, 1900, 17). A trial for witchcraft in 1567 is related by
Bertolotti in Rivista Europea, XXIII. (1883), 625.
^ BuU. Rom., VII., 740. Several examples are given by the
*Avvisi di Roma. Gabriele Pianer, dean of the pontifical chaplains,
was imprisoned with a Jew becaiise they were making
calculations as to the length of the Pope's life, the Jew making
use of a phial, in which devils were shut up ;
he was condemned to
the punishment of scourging (*Avvisi of June 12 and July 31,
1568, Urb. 1040, p. 533, 556, Vatican Library : cf. *Arco, June 12,
1568, State Archives, Vienna). A Jew was imprisoned, who made
predictions with the " bolla de' spirit! " about the Pope's life.
(*Avviso of July 23, 1569, Urb. 1041, p. 117, loc. cit.). For the
" Processi per ebraismo in NapoU " see Amabile I., 306 seq.
^ Cf. BuRCKHARDT, Renaissance, 11.^", 268, 275 seq., 373.
See also the example in the time of Paul III., mentioned in Vol.
XIII. of this work, p. 215. Gregorovius (Wanderjahre in
ItaUen, i^., Leipzig 1864, 75) in explaining the bull of Pius V.
mentions the fact that " oggi pure donne ebree a Roma portano
segretamente nelle case arti magiche e filtri amaforii."