venture to say there is perhaps hardly a single witch in Italy whoknows as many as I have published, mine having been assiduously collectedfrom many, far and wide. Everything of the kind which is written is,moreover, often destroyed with scrupulous care by priests or penitents,or the vast number who have a superstitious fear of even being in the samehouse with such documents, so that I regard the rescue of the Vangelo as something which is to say the least remarkable.CHAPTER I HOW DIANA GAVE BIRTH TO ARADIA (HERODIAS)"It is Diana! Lo!She rises crescented."~ Keats Endymion -Krats' Endymion "Make more bright The Star Queen's crescent on her marriage night." -Ibid.This is the Gospel (Vangelo)of the Witches: DIANA greatly loved her brother LUCIFER, the god of the Sun and of theMoon, the god of Light (Splendor), who was so proudof his beauty, and who for his pride was driven from Paradise. DIANA had by her brother a daughter, to whom they gave the name of ARADIA [i.e.Herodius]. In those days there were on earth many rich and many poor. The rich made slaves of the poor. In those days were many slaves who were cruelly treated; in every palace tortures, in every castle prisoners. Many slaves escaped. They fled to the country; thus they became thieves and evil folk. Instead of sleeping by night, they plotted escape and robbed their masters, and then slew them. So they dwelt in the mountains and forests as robbers and assassins, all to avoid slavery. DIANA said one day to her daughter ARADIA: 'Tis true indeed that thou a spirit art, But thou wert born but to become again A mortal; thou must go to earth below To be a teacher unto women and men Who fain would study witchcraft in thy school Yet like Cain...
