11. Delrio describes a contest between two magicians in this way: one of them had kidnapped a fair and beautiful maiden and placed her behind him on a wooden horse, riding with her high up in the air. Meanwhile, the other magician was attending a noble feast in a castle in Burgundy. He sensed their flight from the castle and used his charms to compel the abductor to descend, presenting him before everyone in the castle courtyard, looking sad and unable to move, with the blushing maiden. However, the abductor was not helpless and secretly enchanted the magician who had bound him. While looking out from a high castle window into the courtyard, he caused a pair of large horns to sprout from the magician's head. The magician was unable to pull his head back between the strong iron bars, nor did he dare to jump from such a height. With the horns, he was forced to make an agreement with the other magician and release his captive, concealed within a hollow cloud. Likewise, the other magician allowed him to remove the horns and return to the feast, much to the amusement of the present company.
12. According to the same author, two magicians met at the Queen of England's court and made an agreement that they would unquestioningly obey each other in any matter. One of them commanded the other to stick his head out of a window, and as soon as he did, a large pair of stag horns appeared on his forehead, much to the amusement of the spectators who mocked and taunted him. Feeling humiliated and seeking revenge, when it was the other magician's turn to be obeyed, he drew the outline of a man on the wall with charcoal and ordered the first magician to stand beneath that image, demanding that the wall should make way and let the magician in. The first magician pleaded to be excused, but the other refused, and he was forced to stand beneath the drawing. Suddenly, the wall appeared to open, and the magician entered it, never to be seen again.
13. The author shares another story from C. Germanus, who claims it to be a well-known and undisputed truth. A notable conjurer performed a demonstration of his art by cutting off the head of an innkeeper's servant where he was staying. However, he found himself unable to reattach the head due to the presence of another conjurer who happened to be nearby. The conjurer pleaded with the second one not to hinder him, but the other paid no attention to the request. The first magician then caused a lily to spring up on the table and, after cutting off its head and flowers, the second magician suddenly fell to the ground without a head. The first magician then reattached the servant's head and quickly left, fearing being accused of his rival's murder.
14. Iamblichus, a notorious enchanter, sacrificed to the devil and was raised ten cubits off the ground, astonishing all those present who saw him seemingly walk in the air. As Evanippus testified, his garments changed strangely, as if they had been dipped in a thousand glorious colors.
15. Michael Sidecita, a great magician, was playing with others on the battlements of the great imperial palace in Constantinople, overlooking the water. He noticed a boat loaded with various earthen vessels, some plain and some painted in different colors. For amusement, he whispered a charm to himself and caused the boat's owner to rise from his seat and smash the fragile vessels with his oar until they were almost reduced to powder. The owner, perplexed by his actions, expressed great sorrow and explained that he did it because he saw a huge, ugly serpent approaching him, threatening his life until he destroyed his own merchandise. This magician lost his eyes later, as Emperor Manuel Komnenos punished him for other, more nefarious pranks.
16. Pythagoras, near Tarentum, saw an ox eating beans and instructed the herdsman to drive the beast away from that kind of grain. The herdsman laughed, saying that the ox wouldn't understand such admonition and that Pythagoras's advice would be better suited for his scholars in the school. Angered, Pythagoras muttered some words, and the ox immediately left its meal, ran to the city, and could never again be yoked. It behaved like a domesticated dog, taking food from anyone's hands. Pythagoras was later burned alive in the house of Milo the Crotonian.
17. In the year 1323, Frederick, Duke of Austria, was chosen as the Emperor against Lewis and was defeated in a major battle between Otinga and Molensdorf. Lewis sent him to be kept as a prisoner in a strong castle. Later, a magician arrived in Austria and promised to use his art and the assistance of spirits to free Frederick and bring him safely to Leopold, his brother, within an hour if he received a suitable reward. Frederick agreed, and the magician and Leopold performed conjurations in a circle, calling forth a spirit who was bound to obey the magician. The spirit appeared as a man and was commanded to free Frederick and take him to Leopold in Austria unharmed. However, the spirit insisted that Frederick had to willingly mount his horse with him. Frederick was hesitant and made the sign of the cross, causing the spirit and the horse to disappear. Frederick was eventually freed from prison and confirmed that the same incident had happened to him that day. But Leopold was so frightened by the spirit that he saw that he died shortly after.
18. Iovius praises the extraordinary intellect of Henricus Cornelius Agrippa, stating that he had a vast understanding and memory, comprehending all arts and sciences, their deepest secrets, and highest concepts. Despite his considerable knowledge, Agrippa died at a lowly and obscure inn in Lyon, cursed by many for being infamous and suspected of practicing necromancy, as he was always accompanied by a devil in the form of a black dog. In a moment of repentance before his death, Agrippa removed the collar from the dog's neck, which bore magical inscriptions, and exclaimed, "Abi perdita bestia, quae me perdidisti," meaning "Be gone, you wretched beast that has utterly undone me." From that day on, the familiar dog was never seen again, as it leaped into the Araris river and never resurfaced.
19. Clemens Romanus speaks of Simon Magus, stating that he created a man out of thin air, became invisible at will, animated statues, and stood unharmed amidst flames. He could also appear with two faces like Janus, transform himself into various animals, and fly in the air. He commanded a scythe to mow on its own, and it cut down ten times more than any other scythe. When Selene the Harlot was confined in a tower, thousands of people came to see her, surrounding the castle. Simon caused her face to appear at every window in the castle simultaneously. Anastasius Nicenus adds that he would appear as if made of gold or sometimes as a serpent or another creature. During feasts, he showed all kinds of specters, made dishes appear on the table without any visible servant, and caused many shadows to walk before him, which he claimed were the souls of deceased people.
20. Pasetes was known for many magical pranks, such as creating a sumptuous feast that would suddenly disappear at his will. He would also purchase things and pay for them, only to have the money returned to him afterward.
21. Iohannes Teutonicus, a canon of Halberstadht in Germany, performed numerous incredible feats of magic. He was transported by the devil in the guise of a black horse and was seen and heard celebrating Mass on the same Christmas day in Halberstadht, Mentz, and Collen.
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