SKU: 4735246265

NICOLAS, Augustin. Si la torture est un moyen seur a verifier les crimes secrets; dissertation morale et juridique, par laquelle il est amplement traité des abus qui se commettent par tout en l'instruction des procés criminels, ... ouvrage necessaire à t…

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NICOLAS, Augustin. Si la torture est un moyen seur a verifier les crimes secrets; dissertation morale et juridique, par laquelle il est amplement traité des abus qui se commettent par tout en l'instruction des procés criminels, ... ouvrage necessaire à t…Against the Torture of Witches NICOLAS, Augustin. Si la torture est un moyen seur a verifier les crimes secrets; dissertation morale et juridique, par laquelle il est amplement trait des abus qui se commettent par tout en l'instruction des procs criminels, ouvrage necessaire tous juges Amsterdam: Chez Abraham Wolfgang prs de la Bourse. 1681. Small 8vo. Contemporary mottled sheep, boards ruled in blind, spine blind ruled in compartments and lettered

Against the Torture of Witches

NICOLAS, Augustin. Si la torture est un moyen seur a verifier les crimes secrets; dissertation morale et juridique, par laquelle il est amplement traité des abus qui se commettent par tout en l'instruction des procés criminels, ... ouvrage necessaire à tous juges… Amsterdam: Chez Abraham Wolfgang près de la Bourse. 1681.

Small 8vo. Contemporary mottled sheep, boards ruled in blind, spine blind-ruled in compartments and lettered directly in gilt, edges sprinkled red and blue; pp. 224, [8], woodcut initials, head-, and tailpieces; extremities a little rubbed, joints splitting at foot, tail of spine chipped, remnants of paper label to foot of spine; title a little dust-soiled, light variable toning and spotting, but overall a very good, crisp copy; eighteenth-century annotations in ink to front free endpaper, and 3 ff. loosely inserted notes in the same hand; manuscript ink correction to A2; eighteenth-century ink shelfmark and engraved armorial bookplate of Alexandre Le Mareschal of Beauvais (1802–1875) to front pastedown.

First edition of one of the earliest European works to openly criticise judicial torture, particularly in the prosecution of witchcraft, with eighteenth-century annotations referring to contemporary controversies on the abolition of torture.

Augustin Nicolas (1622–1695), magistrate, royal councillor, and sometime president of the Parlement of Dijon, published Si la torture est un moyen seur à vérifier les crimes secrets as a sustained attack on the use of torture in criminal investigations. Although principally directed against torture in witchcraft trials, the work effectively becomes ‘the first work openly critical of the practice of torture’ in Europe (Silverman, p. 161). Nicolas argues that torture does not reveal truth but destroys it. Far from distinguishing guilt from innocence, pain merely compels the accused to say whatever may bring relief. Innocent victims, he insists, readily confess to impossible crimes, while judges mistake desperation for proof. Witchcraft prosecutions appeared to him especially dangerous because they rested upon fear, superstition, rumour, and invisible crimes incapable of rational demonstration. Under torture, the accused would confess to absurdities – flying through the air, attending sabbaths with the Devil (p. 147) – not because such acts were real, but because suffering and suggestion produced judicial fantasy. Torture thus became not an instrument of investigation, but a mechanism for confirming prior prejudice.

Nicolas grounded his objections less in humanitarian sentiment than in epistemology: torture corrupted evidence and impeded the discovery of truth. Together with Jacques Tourreil’s later Si la torture est une bonne voye, pour découvrir la vérité (1694), Nicolas’ work anticipated arguments more famously developed in the eighteenth century by Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri. Our copy contains eighteenth-century annotations referring to other major anti-torture works, including the Tractatus de quaestionibus et tormentis attributed to Baldus de Ubaldis and the Tribunal Reformatum of Johannes Grevius. Another note records that in 1748 the Neapolitans, while granting a voluntary subsidy to their king, petitioned for the abolition of torture (‘Gazette d’Amsterdam, mai 1748’). A further annotation cites the Année littéraire (1775), describing Nicolas’ dissertation as ‘le meilleur de ses ouvrages’ and ‘livre difficile à trouver’.

STCN 841776288; USTC 1817384; Brunet IV, col. 62. See Silverman, Tortured Subjects: Pain, Truth, and the Body in Early Modern France (2001).

SKU: 2124351

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SKU: 4735246265

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Warren Norgaard
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
An Ice Cream Cone for Dogs Who Have Never Paid Taxes
Style: Frosty Cone, Size: Small (Pack of 1)
Bought this for my dog thinking it would provide “a few minutes of enrichment.” It became an event. The second I pulled this thing out of the freezer, my dog reacted like I had personally returned from a heroic quest carrying the sacred treasure of his ancestors. Absolute full-body joy. Olympic-level tail wagging. The rubber feels sturdy, the opening is easy to fill, and freezing treats inside keeps him occupied long enough for me to answer emails, drink coffee, and briefly remember who I was before becoming a full-time employee of a small furry creature. I’ve filled it with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, and one regrettable attempt involving pumpkin puree that turned my kitchen into a seasonal crime scene. Best part: it’s durable enough to survive enthusiastic chewing without immediately looking like it lost a fight with a lawn mower. Five stars. My dog now stares at the freezer with religious devotion.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
K
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kitka82
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Great treat toy especially for frozen treats
Style: Chilly Penguin, Size: Medium/Large (Pack of 1)
This is cute! Very solid and chewable. To ensure a longer play time it does great for popping in the freezer after filling with peanut butter, yogurt, pumpkin, applesauce, broth, dog ice cream etc ... It's been so much cleaner and easier than putting it in a dish; the treat lasts longer and the dog is entertained longer. Whether frozen or not, this toy is very easy for my dog to get everything / lick clean. It's very easy to clean either putting in the top shelf of dishwasher or hand washing with a bottle brush. Treat of no treat, this is entertaining for my dog. He likes to simply run around with it in his mouth or randomly chew on it. This is different from his balls or bones because it's kind of flat and thin. Good buy and great to help cool him off from the warm weather.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2024
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Rosemarie
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 4
Dogs love the treats hidden within
Style: Chilly Penguin, Size: Small (Pack of 1)
The treat holding penguin is ideal for feeding treats, frozen and otherwise, to your loving pets. I have put yogurt, applesauce, mashed bananas, and other treats inside the penguin. The puppies love licking the yummy treats out of the penguin. It occupies them for quite a while. The only thing is that they are not very easy to clean. I use a small soft brush after soaking them in hot water.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2025
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knittingon
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
wonderful - best dog toy on the market!!
Style: Chilly Penguin, Size: Small (Pack of 1), Style: Chilly Penguin, Size: Small (Pack of 1)
my 10.6 lb shih tzu mix loves these. yes, they are durable. this is the third dog on some of them. i fill with diluted baby food mixed with 3 drops honey, carrots in todays, or peanut butter and a tad of jelly mixed with water, or water with unsalted cooked veggies like broccoli or cauliflower stems and carrot bits, or baked and mixed with water sweet potato. she eats just anout any vegetable. the water is to reduce calories as i had to take 3 lbs off her when i got her. and yes, they stack nicely. when i let her out of her crate, she looks and grabs it and puts it on the kitchen floor for a refill. her idea, not my training but i like it. this is an addition to my previous review. as far as i'm concerned, this is the best toy on the market for very small dogs. my dog has been at target weight for 2 years now and i restrict her treat calories to a strict 21 kcals daily. she is also now a working dog. i have now done frozen greek yogurt with apples and blueberry baby food diluted, kibble mixed in water. wet dog food diluted with water etc. i leave her in her crate with one and two cameras on her, one two way audio and she has stopped all barking and dutifully brings the toy and actually deposits it in my hand when i let her out of the crate. every 2-3 days it's like a new toy flavor and no toys have and tooth marks or anything on them. they're used daily. understand this lil 10.6 lb dog goes thru nylon power chews regularly so she's super capable of destroying toys but i think the little bit of food satisfies her with the penguin and 2 1/2 years in, she has no desire to destroy them. i now own 8 of these as 2 stay in her travel bag. we would be heartbroken if the company quit making these penguins. fantastic product. the small would even have worked for my 5 lb papillons had they made them then.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2022
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Glutton for books
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Great durability and utility
Style: Chilly Penguin, Size: Medium/Large (Pack of 2)
I love the size of these and the sturdiness. I freeze bone broth and put it in the crate or give it to dogs when it gets warm out. To help them cool or help them with teething. They have decimated other holders of frozen liquid, but these have lasted well. They also do not get sharp edges when chewed on by English bulldogs.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2026

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