Francesco Maria Guazzo, aka Guaccio, aka Guaccius (15??-16??) was an Italian priest in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

. He wrote a book, the Compendium Maleficarum (Compendium of the Witches), in which he cited numerous experts on the subject, among them Nicholas Remy

Nicholas Remy

Nicholas Remy was a French magistrate who became famous as a hunter of witches comparable to Jean Bodin and De Lancre. After studying law at the University of Toulouse, Remy practiced in Paris from 1563 to 1570...

.

He described the eleven formulae or ceremonies previous to the vow to Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

, allegedly necessary to participate of the Sabbath

Sabbath (witchcraft)

The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice witchcraft, and other rites.European records indicate cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later.- Etymology :The English word “sabbat”...

; besides, Guazzo offered detailed descriptions of the sexual relationships between men and succubi, and women and incubi.

Guazzo established also a classification of the demons, inspired by a previous work by Michael Psellus.

Major works

• Compendium Maleficarum (1628; new edition London 1929, republished 2004 by Book Tree), limited preview online
• Compendium Maleficarum, complete original Latin source online

External links