FIFTH, sixth and seventh at once: the aforementioned truth is proven through four horrific practices | that they follow in connection with babies in the mother's womb. Since the demons carry out their practices through women and not through men, that infamous insatiable murderer contrives to adopt women rather than men as his partners. These works are of the following kind. Canonists, who treat the impediment caused by sorcery more than do theologians, say (cited above) that sorcery is used not only to prevent someone from being able to carry out the carnal act, as was discussed above, but also to prevent a woman from conceiving or, if she does conceive, to cause her to have a miscarriage. A third way is added along with a fourth in that in a case where they do not cause a miscarriage, they eat up the baby or offer him to a demon. There is no doubt about the first two ways, since without the help of demons a human can use natural means, like plants and other impediments, to cause a woman to be unable to beget or conceive, as was discussed above. Regarding the other two ways, however, it should be asserted that they are caused by sorcerers, without it being necessary to adduce the arguments when these things are rendered believable by the clearest indications and proofs from experience.

Regarding the first way, namely that contrary to the inclination of human nature and in fact in violation of the condition of all beasts (with the exception of the species of wolves), some sorceresses devour and consume babies, it is the Inquisitor of Como mentioned above who reported these events to us. It was for this very reason that he was summoned by the inhabitants of the county of Bormio to conduct an inquisition. For when a certain man had lost a child from its crib, he went in search of it, and when he saw a gathering of women at night time, he observed that the baby was being killed and eaten while liquor was being consumed.