Elich, Lewis Philip

, in Latin Elichius, lived at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and probably was born at Marpurg. He there maintained a public dispute on diabolical magic, in which he implicitly believed, and would have printed a book on the same subject, if the magistrates had not taken care to prevent it; who, on searching his house, found several books on which he had written immoral and impious notes. The books were confiscated, and he was cited before the judges; to whom he promised upon oath and in writing, that he would renounce such frivolous studies for the future; yet he published his book at Francfort in 1607, under the title of ' De dapmoijomagia, de daemonis cacurgia, et lamiarum c-ner-gia,“with a very angry preface against the academical senate of Marpurg. In this work he arrogantly contends against those who doubt of the truth of what is related of witches, | hd of their being really conveyed through the air to their meetings. He particularly attacks Tobias Tandler, professor of medicine at Wirtemberg, who had published an oration” De fascino et incantatione,“in 1606. This Tandler reprinted in 1607, with some other tracts of the same nature, and added a short reply to the calumnies of Elichius,” Repulsio calumniarum Elichii,“from which Bayle took the materials of this article. Elichius, being informed that he was to be called to account for his book, made his escape, and turned Roman catholic. He is said by Bayle to have published at Francfort, in 1609, another book, entitled” Innocentius; sive de miseria hominis, libri tres, in ignominiam et confusionem superborum editi.“But Moreri thinks he was only the editor, and that it is the same which is attributed to Innocent III. and of which there is a Paris edition of 1645, entitled” D. Innocentiae papre, de contemptu mundi, sive de miseria humans conditionis, libri tres." ¹