De praestigiis daemonum (“On the Tricks of Demons”) is a short 16th‑century Latin theological treatise by Johann Weyer (Joannes Wier), first published in 1563 as a critique of witch-hunts and the belief that many supposed witches were actually mentally ill or deceived. Its skeptical, humane stance influenced later thought on witchcraft, psychiatry, and the limits of superstition.
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In 1563, a Dutch physician and demonologist named Johann Weyer published a book that would make him both a hero to skeptics and a heretic to witch-hunters. Its title, De Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus ac Veneficiis —“On the Illusions of the Demons and on Spells and Poisons”—was a direct challenge to the emerging witch-craze sweeping Europe. While many see Weyer as an early advocate for the mentally ill, his book is far stranger and more complex than a simple plea for reason. de praestigiis daemonum english translation pdf
Weyer was a student of the great occult philosopher Cornelius Agrippa. Unlike later rationalists, Weyer fully believed in demons, the Devil, and magic. But he drew a sharp line: witches, he argued, were not willingly evil. Instead, they were deluded, melancholic, and physically ill. Their confessions of flying to sabbats, copulating with demons, and cursing crops were not real—they were praestigiae (illusions, deceptions) planted by demons.
This was revolutionary. In an era where Heinrich Kramer’s Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch’s Hammer) demanded the burning of witches, Weyer insisted that the “crime” of witchcraft was impossible. Only demons could perform supernatural harm. Old women who thought they were witches were pitiable victims of their own biology and demonic trickery. Blog post: De praestigiis daemonum — English translation
Short answer: No, not legally.
Because the 1991 Shea translation is still under copyright (and the rights are held by an academic press), you will not find a legitimate, free, complete PDF on JSTOR, Google Books, or Archive.org. Scans of the original 1583 Latin edition (public
You will find:
Weyer’s original Latin text is in the public domain. However, complete modern English translations are rare. The most accessible English version remains:
Legitimate ways to read or access the text:
Warning: Many websites claiming to offer a free PDF of the complete English translation are either (a) the Latin original mislabeled, (b) a short excerpt, or (c) pirated copies of the Mora translation. Downloading copyrighted translations without permission is illegal.