Damhouder, Josse de (1507-1581) Praxis Rerum Criminalium.

Description:

Damhouder, Josse de (1507-1581) Praxis Rerum Criminalium. Antwerp: Bellerum, 1570. Quarto in eights, illustrated with large text woodcuts, contemporary limp vellum (damage to bottom corner front, pages beneath curled),8 1/2 x 6 in.

N.B. "The most immediate impact of de Damhouder's works was on the witch trials of the time, in which the Praxis Rerum Criminalium and its translations were cited regularly as fundamental works. The Praxis dedicated a lengthy sixty-four paragraphs to witchcraft, copied in large part from Paulus Grillandus's Tractatus de Sortilegiis. According to the Praxis, witchcraft was a heinous crime that went unpunished too often because of the ignorance of magistrates, and which also covered love charms, fortune-telling, astrology and other superstitious practices. De Damhouder expanded on this by providing detailed practical advice (backed up by examples from his own court practice) on how to conduct interrogations of suspected witches under torture. These included, for example, the recommendation to shave off all hair and to inspect all orifices of the suspect, in order to uncover hidden magical amulets that would make the wearer withstand torture. He asserted that a single indication of guilt was sufficient for torture to be applied to achieve a confession, though he did recognize that too much torture can produce false confessions." (Wikipedia)
Estimate $600-800

*8, **8, A-Z8, Aa-Nn8.


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