The Adventurous Simplicissimus · Chapter
XVIII: Doth Prove That No Man Can Lay to Simplicissimus’ Charge That He Doth Draw the Long Bow explained
Simplicissimus defends the plausibility of his earlier account of traveling through the air by citing numerous historical and legendary examples of witches, sorcerers, and magical flights, including stories from Nicolas Remigius, Majolus, O
What happens
Simplicissimus defends the plausibility of his earlier account of traveling through the air by citing numerous historical and legendary examples of witches, sorcerers, and magical flights, including stories from Nicolas Remigius, Majolus, Olaus Magnus, Torquemada, Ghirlandus, and Doctor Faust. He argues that such phenomena are well-attested and that skeptics may simply invent their own explanation for his rapid journey from Fulda or Hirschfeld to Magdeburg.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Simplicissimus defends his story against accusations of exaggeration, blurring the line between truth and tall tale while citing legendary accounts of witchcraft.
Religion and Morality
The chapter invokes religious elements (e.g., invoking God, St. Peter's prayer) as counterforces to witchcraft, highlighting the moral and spiritual dimensions of the supernatural.
Characters to notice
- Simplicissimus
Narrator and protagonist, defending the truth of his earlier account by citing historical and legendary precedents for magical flight.
- John of Hembach
Mentioned in a story from Nicolas Remigius about a young man who attended a witches' assembly and fell from a tree after invoking God.
- Hading
King of Denmark, cited from Olaus Magnus, who traveled through the air on the Spirit of Odin in the shape of a horse.
- Torquemada
Referenced for his Hexameron, which relates a story about his schoolfellow and magical flight.
- Ghirlandus
Cited for a tale of a nobleman who accompanied his witch wife to a sorcerers' assembly and caused the gathering to vanish by praising God for salt.
Key passages
“Now since there be some, and indeed some learned folk among them, that believe not that there be witches and sorcerers, still less that they can fly from place to place in the air, therefore am I sure there will be some to say that here the good Simplicissimus draws the long bow.”
Because some people, even educated ones, deny the existence of witches and their ability to fly, I expect critics will accuse me of exaggerating.
Simplicissimus anticipates skepticism about his earlier account of aerial travel.
“And therefore, though he was rich, must he beg his way home, whither when he came he delated his wife for a witch before the magistrate, and she was burned.”
So, despite his wealth, he had to beg for his journey back, and upon arriving he reported his wife as a witch to the authorities, leading to her execution by burning.
Conclusion of Ghirlandus's story about a nobleman who exposed his witch wife.