“Fromtheseconsiderations，Sire，andintheexecutionofsoholyanordinance，yourparliaments，bytheirdecrees，proportiontheirpunishmentstotheguiltoftheoffenders:andyourParliamentofNormandyhasnever，untilthepresenttime，foundthatitspracticewasdifferentfromthatofothercourts；forallthebookswhichtreatuponthismatterciteaninfinitenumberofdecreescondemningwitchestobeburnt，orbrokenonthewheel，ortootherpunishments。Thefollowingareexamples:——InthetimeofChilperic，asmaybeseeninGregoryofTours，b。vi，c。35ofhisHistoryofFrance:allthedecreesoftheParliamentofParispassedaccordingto，andinconformitywith，thisancientjurisprudenceofthekingdom，citedbyImbert，inhis“JudicialPractice；“allthosecitedbyMonstrelet，in1459，againstthewitchesofArtois；thedecreesofthesameParliament，ofthel3thofOctober1573，againstMaryLeFief，nativeofSaumur；ofthe21stofOctober1596，againsttheSieurdeBeaumont，whopleaded，inhisdefence，thathehadonlysoughttheaidofthedevilforthepurposeofunbewitchingtheafflictedandofcuringdiseases；ofthe4thofJuly1606，againstFrancisduBose；ofthe20thofJuly1582，againstAbeldelaRue，nativeofCoulommiers；ofthe2ndofOctober1593，againstRousseauandhisdaughter；of1608，againstanotherRousseauandonePeley，forwitchcraftandadorationofthedevilattheSabbath，underthefigureofahe-goat，asconfessedbythem；thedecreeof4thofFebruary1615，againstLeclerc，whoappealedfromthesentenceoftheParliamentofOrleans，andwhowascondemnedforhavingattendedtheSabbath，andconfessed，aswellastwoofhisaccomplices，whodiedinprison，thathehadadoredthedevil，renouncedhisbaptismandhisfaithinGod，dancedthewitches’dance，andofferedupunholysacrifices；thedecreesofthe6thofMay1616，againstamannamedLeger，onasimilaraccusation；thepardongrantedbyCharlesIXtoTroisEchelles，uponconditionofrevealinghisaccomplices，butafterwardsrevokedforrenewedsorceryonhispart；thedecreeoftheParliamentofParis，citedbyMornacin1595；thejudgmentspassedinconsequenceofthecommissiongivenbyHenryIVtotheSieurdeLancre，councilloroftheParliamentofBourdeaux；ofthe20thofMarch1619，againstEtienneAudibert；thosepassedbytheChamberofNerac，onthe26thofJune1620，againstseveralwitches；thosepassedbytheParliamentofToulousein1577，ascitedbyGregoryTolosanus，againstfourhundredpersonsaccusedofthiscrime，andwhowereallmarkedwiththesignofthedevil。Besidesallthese，wemightrecalltoyourMajesty’srecollectionthevariousdecreesoftheParliamentofProvence，especiallyinthecaseofGaufredyin1611；thedecreesoftheParliamentofDijon，andthoseoftheParliamentofRennes，followingtheexampleofthecondemnationoftheMarshaldeRays，whowasburnedin1441，forthecrimeofwitchcraft，inpresenceoftheDukeofBrittany；——alltheseexamples，Sire，provethattheaccusationofwitchcrafthasalwaysbeenpunishedwithdeathbytheParliamentsofyourkingdom，andjustifytheuniformityoftheirpractice。
“These，Sire，arethemotivesuponwhichyourParliamentofNormandyhasactedindecreeingthepunishmentofdeathagainstthepersonslatelybroughtbeforeitforthiscrime。Ifithashappenedthat，onanyoccasion，theseparliaments，andtheParliamentofNormandyamongtherest，havecondemnedtheguiltytoalesspunishmentthanthatofdeath，itwasforthereasonthattheirguiltwasnotofthedeepestdye；yourMajesty，andtheKingsyourpredecessors，havingleftfulllibertytothevarioustribunalstowhomtheydelegatedtheadministrationofjustice，todecreesuchpunishmentaswaswarrantedbytheevidencebroughtbeforethem。
“Aftersomanyauthorities，andpunishmentsordainedbyhumananddivinelaws，wehumblysupplicateyourMajestytoreflectoncemoreupontheextraordinaryresultswhichproceedfromthemalevolenceofthissortofpeople——onthedeathsfromunknowndiseases，whichareoftentheconsequencesoftheirmenaces——onthelossofthegoodsandchattelsofyoursubjects——ontheproofsofguiltcontinuallyaffordedbytheinsensibilityofthemarksupontheaccused——onthesuddentransportationofbodiesfromoneplacetoanother——onthesacrificesandnocturnalassemblies，andotherfacts，corroboratedbythetestimonyofancientandmodernauthors，andverifiedbysomanyeye-witnesses，composedpartlyofaccomplices，andpartlyofpeoplewhohadnointerestinthetrialsbeyondtheloveoftruth，andconfirmed，moreover，bytheconfessionsoftheaccusedpartiesthemselves；andthat，Sire，withsomuchagreementandconformitybetweenthedifferentcases，thatthemostignorantpersonsconvictedofthiscrimehavespokentothesamecircumstances，andinnearlythesamewords，asthemostcelebratedauthorswhohavewrittenaboutit，allofwhichmaybeeasilyprovedtoyourMajesty’ssatisfactionbytherecordsofvarioustrialsbeforeyourparliaments。
“These，Sire，aretruthssointimatelyboundupwiththeprinciplesofourreligion，that，extraordinaryalthoughtheybe，nopersonhasbeenabletothistimetocalltheminquestion。Ifsomehavecited，inoppositiontothesetruths，thepretendedcanonoftheCouncilofAncyre，andapassagefromSt。Augustin，inatreatiseuponthe’SpiritandtheSoul’，ithasbeenwithoutfoundation；anditwouldbeeasytoconvinceyourMajestythatneithertheonenortheotheroughttobeaccountedofanyauthority；and，besidesthat，thecanon，inthissense，wouldbecontrarytotheopinionofallsucceedingcouncilsofthechurch，CardinalBaronius，andalllearnedcommentators，agreethatitisnottobefoundinanyoldedition。Ineffect，inthoseeditionswhereinitisfound，itisinanotherlanguage，andisindirectcontradictiontothetwenty-thirdcanonofthesamecouncil，whichcondemnssorcery，accordingtoallprecedingconstitutions。EvensupposingthatthiscanonwasreallypromulgatedbytheCouncilofAncyre，wemustobservethatitwasissuedinthesecondcentury，whentheprincipalattentionoftheChurchwasdirectedtothedestructionofpaganism。Forthisreason，itcondemnsthatclassofwomenwhosaidtheycouldpassthroughtheair，andoverimmenseregions，withDianaandHerodias，andenjoinsallpreacherstoteachthefalsehoodofsuchanopinion，inordertodeterpeoplefromtheworshipofthesefalsedivinities；butitdoesnotquestionthepowerofthedeviloverthehumanbody，whichis，infact，provedbytheHolyGospelofJesusChristhimself。Andwithregard，Sire，tothepretendedpassageofSt。Augustin，everybodyknowsthatitwasnotwrittenbyhim，becausethewriter，whoeverhewas，citesBoetius，whodiedmorethaneightyyearsafterthetimeofSt。Augustin。Besides，thereisstillmoreconvincingproofinthefact，thatthesamefatherestablishesthetruthofwitchcraftinallhiswritings，andmoreparticularlyinhis’CityofGod；’andinhisfirstvolume，questionthe25th，whereinhestatesthatsorceryisacommunionbetweenmanandthedevil，whichallgoodChristiansoughttolookuponwithhorror。
“Takingallthesethingsintoconsideration，Sire，theofficersofyourParliamenthope，fromthejusticeofyourMajesty，thatyouwillbegraciouslypleasedtoreceivethehumbleremonstrancestheyhavetakenthelibertytomake。Theyarecompelled，fortheacquittaloftheirownconsciencesandindischargeoftheirduty，tomakeknowntoyourMajesty，thatthedecreestheypassedagainstthesorcerersandwitchesbroughtbeforethem，werepassedafteramaturedeliberationonthepartofallthejudgespresent，andthatnothinghasbeendonethereinwhichisnotconformabletotheuniversaljurisprudenceofthekingdom，andforthegeneralwelfareofyourMajesty’ssubjects，ofwhomthereisnotonewhocansaythatheissecurefromthemalevolenceofsuchcriminals。WethereforesupplicateyourMajestytosufferustocarryintoeffectthesentenceswepassed，andtoproceedwiththetrialoftheotherpersonsaccusedofthesamecrime；andthatthepietyofyourMajestywillnotsuffertobeintroducedduringyourreignanopinioncontrarytotheprinciplesofthatholyreligionforwhichyouhavealwaysemployedsogloriouslybothyourcaresandyourarms。“