Belloc, Jeanne (ca. 1609)
Belloc, Jeanne (ca. 1609)
An alleged witch of the Labourd district in the Basque region of France, who in the reign of Henry IV was indicted for sorcery at the age of 84 years. In answer to Pierre De Lancre who interrogated her, she stated that she first attended the sabbatic meetings of Satan in winter 1609, where she was presented to the Devil, who kissed her—a mark of approbation that he bestowed upon the greatest sorcerers only. She described the Sabbat as a masked ball to which some came in their ordinary forms, while others joined the dance in the guise of dogs, cats, donkeys, pigs, and other animals.
However, no reliance can be placed on the confessions of any victims of De Lancre, as he used torture and believed that most of the 30,000 inhabitants of Labourd, including the priests, were infected with witchcraft.