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being at work, and a vapor from below passing through some opening; which, if it should happen in a woman's entrails, both causes the belly to swell and produces an ecstasy of the mind and a derangement from the established state. All these things seemed both divine and prophetic to those who were deceived; and of those who conjecture the future by certain signs from the liver or fire, or by the flights of birds, no one has attributed the power of prophecy to fate, but they reckon such a thing to some demonic possession. Thus I say, either that there is no prediction at all, because the prophecies are disproven by many contradictions, or if someone indeed proves it to be foretelling something of what will come to pass, which we apprehend in the case of each of the other successful prophecies, we think we ought to believe this also in the case of such a form of prophecy. For in all these cases it is the same to err in most things and in some to seem to lead the prophecy not outside the truth of what will come to pass, and for the deceitful nature of demons, the purpose is similarly achieved both through this and every device. For to turn man away from looking to God and from there preparing for himself the portion of 63 good things, is striven for by demons above all else. Therefore, for the easily deceived to be persuaded that the things of life do not rest upon the divine will, but upon such and such an intertwining of the stars and on the power flowing from there, looks most of all to the purpose of the harmful nature of demons. If then it is pleasing to demons to turn man away from God, and the error concerning these things does turn him away, it is clearly shown to be some demonic activity, deceiving through trickery those who think that all power is in these things, and do not look toward the all-powerful authority of God.

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ἐνεργαζόμενον, καὶ πνεῦμα κάτωθεν διά τινος στομίου διεξερχόμενον· ὅπερ εἰ ἐν γυναικείοις γένοιτο σπλάγχνοις, ἐξοιδεῖν τε τὴν γαστέρα ποιεῖ καὶ τῆς διανοίας ἔκστασιν καὶ παραφορὰν τοῦ καθεστηκότος ἐργάζεται. ἅπερ πάντα θεῖά τε καὶ μαντικὰ τοῖς ἀπατωμένοις ἐδόκει· τῶν τε ἐξ ἥπατος ἢ πυρὸς σημείοις τισὶ τὸ μέλλον προ-εικαζόντων ἢ τῶν πρὸς τὰς πτήσεις τῶν ὀρνέων οὐδεὶς ἀνέθηκε τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ τὴν τῆς προρρήσεως δύναμιν, ἀλλά τινι δαιμονίᾳ κατοκωχῇ τὸ τοιοῦτον λογίζονται. οὕτω φημὶ ἢ μὴ εἶναι καθόλου προαγόρευσιν διὰ τὸ πολλοῖς ἐναντιώμασι τὰς προρρήσεις ἐλέγχεσθαι, ἢ εἴπερ ἀποδεικνύει τις αὐτὴν ὡς προλέγουσάν τι τῶν ἐκβησομένων, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἑκάστου τῶν κατὰ πρόρρησιν ἐπιτυγχανομένων καταλαμβάνομεν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τοιούτου τῆς προρρήσεως εἴ-δους οἰόμεθα χρῆναι νομίζειν. ἴσον γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντων τούτων ἐστὶ τὸ ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι διαμαρτάνειν τό τε ἔν τισι δοκεῖν μὴ ἔξω τῆς τῶν ἐκβησομένων ἀληθείας ἄγειν τὴν πρόρρησιν, καὶ τῇ ἀπατηλῇ τῶν δαιμόνων φύσει ὁμοίως καὶ διὰ ταύτης καὶ πάσης ἐπινοίας ὁ σκοπὸς κατορθοῦται. τὸ γὰρ ἀποστῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν βλέπειν κἀκεῖθεν ἑαυτῷ τὴν τῶν 63 ἀγαθῶν μοῖραν παρασκευάζειν, ἀντὶ παντὸς τοῖς δαίμοσι σπουδάζεται. τὸ τοίνυν πεπεῖσθαι τοὺς εὐεξαπατήτους μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι τὰ κατὰ τὸν βίον κεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ τοιᾷδε τῶν ἄστρων διαπλοκῇ καὶ τῇ ἐκεῖθεν ἀπορρεούσῃ δυνάμει, πάντων μάλιστα πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς βλαπτικῆς τῶν δαιμόνων φύσεως βλέπει. εἰ οὖν κεχαρισμένον ἐστὶ τοῖς δαίμοσι τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποστῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀφίστησι δὲ ἡ περὶ ταῦτα πλάνη, ἀποδείκνυται σαφῶς δαιμονία τις οὖσα ἐνέργεια δι' ἀπάτης παρακρουομένη τοὺς πᾶσαν μὲν ἐν τούτοις τὴν δύναμιν εἶναι νομίζοντας, πρὸς δὲ τὴν παντοδύναμον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξουσίαν μὴ ἀποβλέποντας.