{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_70055/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_70055","id":"gutenberg_70055","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70055","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Occultism","Superstition","Witchcraft"],"text":"Transcriber\u2019s Note\n  Italic text displayed as: _italic_\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: SATAN\u2019S INVISIBLE WORLD.]\n\n\n\n\n  _Satan\u2019s_\n  INVISIBLE WORLD\n  DISCOVERED;\n\n  OR A CHOICE\n\n  COLLECTION OF MODERN RELATIONS,\n\n  PROVING EVIDENTLY,\n\n  AGAINST THE ATHEISTS OF THIS PRESENT AGE,\n\n  That there are\n\n  DEVILS, SPIRITS, WITCHES, AND APPARITIONS,\n\n  _From authentic Records, and Attestations of Witnesses\n  of undoubted veracity_.\n\n  To which is now added,\n  THAT MARVELLOUS HISTORY\n  OF\n  MAJOR WEIR AND HIS SISTER,\n  THE WITCHES OF\n  BARGARRAN, PITTENWEEM, CALDER, &c.\n\n  BY MR. GEORGE SINCLAIR,\n  _Late Professor of Philosophy in the College of Glasgow_.\n\n\n  LONDON:\n  PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS.\n\n  1814.\n\n\n\n\n_James Clarke, Printer._\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n  _Relation_                                                    _Page_\n\n  1.  Touching the troubles of Sir George Maxwell                    1\n\n  2.  Being a wonderful discovery of murder by an apparition        13\n\n  3.  The witchcraft of Agnes Simpson                               15\n\n  4.  Proclamation over the market cross of Edinburgh               19\n\n  5.  A miraculous cure of a Dutch Woman                            20\n\n  6.  Strange pranks played by the devil at Woodstock               22\n\n  7.  An apparition appears to king James IV. and his courtiers     27\n\n  8.  A major returns from death                                    28\n\n  9.  Remarkable story of discovered witchcraft at Lauder           31\n\n  10. True narrative of the drummer of Tedworth                     38\n\n  11. A very surprising story of the devil of Glenluce              51\n\n  12. Old mother Jackson\u2019s witchcraft                               65\n\n  13. King Duff, the 78 king of Scotland, bewitched                 68\n\n  14. The apparition of Edward Avon, to his son in law              70\n\n  15. Anent Bessie Graham                                           74\n\n  16. The apparition of Sir George Villiers                         82\n\n  17. Hataraick, an old Warlock                                     83\n\n  18. The apparition of the Ghost of Mrs. Bretton                   87\n\n  19. The servant returns to his shop, after he had been\n        dead                                                        89\n\n  20. Wonderful story of one Robert Churchman,                      91\n\n  21. Touching Isobel Heriot                                        97\n\n  22. Anent a Magician at Antwerp                                  104\n\n  23. Concerning a Doctor of divinity that rose out of the\n        bier,                                                      105\n\n  24. Concerning some Drunkards destroyed by the devil             106\n\n  25. Anent William Barton, a Warlock                              107\n\n  26. Wonderful accident, which happened at Lyons,\n        France                                                     110\n\n  27. Marvellous prank played by the devil at Hamelen              111\n\n  28. Strange witchcraft discovered in Monra, in Swedeland         112\n\n  29. Apparition seen at Gladsmuir, &c.                            124\n\n  30. Concerning one Spalding in Dalkeith                          126\n\n  31. Of the devil of Mascon, in France                            128\n\n  32. Concerning Margaret Wilson                                   133\n\n  33. Information about Janet Douglas                              135\n\n  34. Of Helen Elliot, burned at Culross                           137\n\n  35. Prayers and charms, used in the Highlands                    141\n\n  36. Lizzie Muidy at Haddington                                   145\n\n  37. Concerning Major Weir and his Sister                         146\n\n  38. Apparition seen in a dwelling  house, in Mary King\u2019s\n        Close                                                      158\n\n  39. Apparition of a deceased Wife to her Husband                 164\n\n  40. Concerning some Witches in the shire of Renfrew              168\n\n  41. Concerning the witches of Pittenweem                         170\n\n  42. Concerning the bewitching of a Child, in Ireland             172\n\n  43. Concerning the Witch of Calder                               173\n\n\n\n\nSATAN\u2019S\n\n_Invisible World Discovered_.\n\n\n\n\n  RELATION 1.\u2014_Touching the troubles which Sir_ GEORGE MAXWELL _of\n  Pollock met with from the Devil and his Haggs_.\n\n\n  SIR,     _Pollock, 24th June, 1684._\n\nI send you herewith the true account, my father caused me write from\nhis own mouth, which is the surest relation I can give, either of\nhis own trouble, or what concerns Janet Douglas, first discoverer of\nthese pictures. There fell out some less material circumstances in\nthe family, during her abode there, whereby it fully appeared, That\nshe knew what was done in distant places, and understood languages.\nFor instance, when a chapter in the Greek New Testament was read,\nshe made us understand by signs what the purposes were, (for at\nthat time she was dumb, whether really or counterfeitly, it is hard\nto determine,) and did exactly give an account to myself, what we\ndid at two miles distant from the place where she was, without any\ninformation given to her which I knew of. I rest your affectionate\nfriend,\n\n  JOHN MAXWELL.\n\nUpon the 14th of October 1676, my father was surprized at Glasgow, in\nthe night time, with a hot and fiery distemper; and coming home the\nnext day, he was fixed to his bed. The physician, fearing a pleurisy\nand a fever, opened a vein, and the application of medicaments being\nmade, the fiery heat was abated; he remaining for seven weeks\ntogether under a great pain, chiefly in his right side, though not\nfixed to his bed. There had come to Pollock-town a young dumb girl,\nbut from whence was not known, who had remained there for four weeks\nbefore, but seldom frequenting Sir George Maxwell\u2019s house, till at\nlength she came to some more familiarity and converse with his two\ndaughters. And, having observed Sir George sick and weak in his body,\nshe signified unto them, That there was a woman, whose son had broke\nhis fruit-yard, that did prick him in the sides.\n\nAnd seeing this woman one day in the hall of Pollock amongst a great\nmany other company, she assured his daughter, that this was the\nwoman; and the day following, she told the gentleman, That this woman\n(whose name was Janet Mathie, relict of John Stewart, under-miller\nin Shaw mill) had formed a wax picture with pins in the side, which\nwas to be found in her house, in a hole behind the fire, offering\nto bring it unto them, providing she were accompanied with men to\nprotect her from violence. At first they hardly understood her, till\nshe went to one of the gentlewoman\u2019s closets, and bringing thence a\nlittle bee-wax, she plied it before the fire, shewing the dimensions\nand quantity of the picture. The gentlewoman regarded not the\ninformation, because they thought it fabulous; yet his two servants,\nLaurence Pollock, and Andrew Martin, knowing how much the girl loved\ntheir master, and knowing that his life was in hazard, if this\npicture were not found, resolved at all adventures to try whether the\ninformation were true or false; and therefore going along with her\nto the said Janet Mathie\u2019s house, one of them planted himself on\nthe one side of the fire, and the other on the other side, while in\nthe mean time, the little girl coming quickly by Laurence Pollock,\nputteth her hand in the hole behind the fire, and then slips into\nAndrew Martin beneath his cloak, the waxen effigy, which had two pins\nin it, one in each side, but that in the right side, so long as to\npierce through to the other; that in the left was not so long, nor so\ndeeply thrust in. This picture being brought to Pollock, Sir George\u2019s\nson, without acquainting his father, apprehended Janet Mathie,\nprocuring the next day the Lord Ross\u2019s order for conveying her to\nprison. She, being interrogated touching the picture, after several\nsubterfuges, alleged, It was the deed of the \u201cdumb girl.\u201d\n\nIt was also enquired, whether Sir George or his Lady had given her at\nany time provocation to this malice? But it was well known, they had\nbeen courteous to her: and, upon her complaints, had rebuked some for\nspreading bad reports upon her name, as not appearing sufficiently\nwell-founded to a conviction. Only upon the 14th of October, above\nspecified, before Sir George went to Glasgow, he had called before\nhim a servant in Pollock-town, that had broken his orchard in harvest\nlast, who confessed the fact, and that Hugh Stewart, a son of Janet\nMathie\u2019s, was his accomplice. But a by-stander declared, That he\nwas not now in Pollock land, but in the Darnly. To whom Sir George\nreplied, I hope my fingers may reach him in Darnly. This was all\nwhich could be thought a provocation to Mathie. No harm being done\nin the meantime to her son, whom Sir George to this hour doth not so\nmuch as know by the face, but hath suffered him all the time of his\nsickness to live in his mother\u2019s house, even since her imprisonment.\nIn the meantime Mathie remaining obstinate, was searched for\ninsensible marks before the Sheriff-depute of Renfrew, and many\nfamous witnesses, at Paisley, and very many found upon her.\n\nAfter the finding of the picture of wax foresaid, there was some\nabatement of Sir George\u2019s sickness, but not to any observable degree,\nso low was he brought. But upon the 4th of January following, his\nsickness recurred with that violence, that for four or five days, his\nfriends and relations had no great confidence of his life. But they\nwere more amazed on the 7th of January, being the Sabbath-day, when\nthey had an express from the dumb girl, who was at Pollock-town, but\ncould not get over the water to the house, the river being so swelled\nat that time, signifying, That John Stewart, Mathie\u2019s eldest son,\nhad four days since formed an effigy of clay, for taking away Sir\nGeorge\u2019s life. And when she was called for, she declared, it was in\nhis house, beneath the bolster, among the bedstraw.\n\nThe next day following, James Dunlop of Househill, and Ludowick\nStewart of Achinhood, with some of Sir George\u2019s servants, went to\nStewart\u2019s house, taking the little girl with them, resolving to make\na very exact trial, that it might not be said, that the dumb girl had\nbrought any thing hither. Wherefore they caused John Stewart himself\nto light a candle and hold it, while Ludowick Stewart, and another\ndid, in his sight, lift the clay effigy from among the bedstraw,\nbeneath the bolster (the little girl all the while standing at a\ndistance from the place), but the picture having been made only three\nor four days before, and not sufficiently hard, did break into two\npieces. In it were three pins, one in each side, and one in the\nbreast. Stewart had nothing to say for himself, but that he knew not\nwho had put that thing there. He was instantly apprehended, and so\nwas a little sister of his, lately entered into the fourteenth year\nof her age, named Annabil Stewart, who was said to have whispered\nbefore somewhat of the waxen effigy. This poor creature proved\nthereafter, through God\u2019s favour, a key to the detection of making\nboth the pictures.\n\nAt first she was very obstinate, but the next day she confessed,\n\u201cThat being present in her brother\u2019s house the 4th of January, while\nthe clay picture was formed, the Black Gentleman being present,\n(which was the name she gave the devil) together with Bessie Weir,\nMarjory Craig, Margaret Jackson, and her brother John.\u201d But when\nconfronted with her brother, she did not with confidence adhere to\nher confession. Upon the finding of this picture Sir George did very\nobservably recover in his health, and all the pain, which was in his\nside did, by degrees, wear away.\n\nJohn Stewart remained, notwithstanding his sister\u2019s confession, above\nmeasure obstinate, until he was searched the next day for insensible\nmarks, whereof he had great plenty. At the finding whereof, he was so\nconfounded, that immediately he confessed his paction with the devil,\nand almost all the other heads exprest in his judicial confession\nafter-written; and declared, \u201cThat his accomplices who formed the\neffigy with him were the same his sister had named.\u201d She also came\nto a free and full confession of her paction with the devil, and her\naccession to the forming both of the waxen pictures in her mother\u2019s\nhouse, and of the clay one in her brother\u2019s house.\n\nUpon information of the premises, the Earl of Dundonald and the\nLord Ross, granted a warrant for apprehending Bessie Weir, Margaret\nJackson, and Marjory Craig, who had been fellow sisters in the\naforesaid sorcery.\n\nMargaret Jackson, a woman aged about fourscore of years, after a day\nor two, confessed paction with the devil, and her accession to the\nmaking of both the pictures, and condescended upon the complices\nabove named. Many insensible marks were found on her body.\n\nUpon the 17th of January last, a third portrait of clay was found\nunder Janet Mathie\u2019s bolster in the prison house of Paisley, which\nthe dumb girl had given information of. But it seemed to be the\npicture of some woman, and probably of some of the family of Pollock.\nFor Annabil Stewart did freely declare, \u201cThat their malice was\nagainst the whole family of Pollock.\u201d For turning to young Pollock\nand his Lady, she said, \u201cand against you also.\u201d This portrait was\nfound before four famous witnesses.\n\nThe Lords of his Majesty\u2019s privy council, being informed of these\npictures and effigies, the depositions of three confessing Witches\nbeing sent, did grant a commission for their trial, and also for the\ntrial of the other three that were obstinate. And in regard of the\nsingularity of the case, they ordered the process to be very solemn,\ncommissioning for the trial some judicious gentlemen in the country,\nviz. Sir Patrick Gauston of Gauston, James Brisbond of Bishoptoun,\nSir John Shaw younger of Greenock, and John Anderson younger of\nDovehill. To whom they added Mr. John Preston advocate, (a gentleman\nwell seen in criminals, and who exercised the office of justice\ndepute for several years), a _sine qua non_ in the commission. And\nthat the whole process might be the more exact, they appointed George\nLord Ross assessor, with power to vote and decide. And further\nordered Mr. Robert Martain, clerk to the justice court, to be clerk\nto the process, which was to be recorded in the public books of\nadjournal.\n\nThe commissioners of justiciary held their first court at Paisley,\nthe 27th of January; before whom Annibal Stewart deponed, \u201cThat in\nharvest last, the devil, in the shape of a Black Man, had come to\nher mother\u2019s house, and required the deponent to give herself up to\nhim; and that the devil promised she should not want any thing that\nwas good: That being enticed by her mother Janet Mathie, and Bessie\nWeir, who was officer to their several meetings, she did put her\none hand to the crown of her head, and the other to the sole of her\nfoot, and did give up her soul and body (wholesale here is bad sale)\nto the devil: That her mother promised her a new coat for the doing\nof it: That the new name the devil gave her was Annipy: That he took\nher by the hand, and nipped her arm, which continued to be sore for\nthe space of half an hour: That the devil, in the shape of a Black\nMan, lay with her in the bed, under the clothes: That she found him\ncold: That thereafter he placed her nearest to himself: That she was\npresent in her mother\u2019s house where the picture of wax was made; and\nthat it was made to represent Sir George Maxwell of Pollock: That the\nBlack Man, Janet Mathie her mother, whose name from the devil, was\nLand\u2019s Lady, Bessie Weir, whose name was Sopha, Marjory Craig, whose\nname was Rigern, Margaret Jackson, whose name was Locas, were all\npresent at the forming and making of the said effigy: That they bound\nit on a spit, and turned it about before the fire; and that it was\nturned by Bessie Weir, saying, as she turned it, \u2018Sir George Maxwell,\nSir George Maxwell,\u2019 which was exprest by all of them: That this\npicture was made in October last.\u201d\u2014\u201cThat upon the 3d day of January\nfollowing, Bessie Weir came to her mother\u2019s house, and advertised\nher to come to her brother John Stewart\u2019s house, the following night\nat 12 o\u2019clock; and that accordingly she came to the place, where\nshe found Bessie Weir, Marjory Craig, Margaret Jackson, her brother\nJohn Stewart, and a man with black clothes, a blue band, and white\nhand-cuffs, with hoggars on his feet, and that his feet were cloven:\nThat she sat down at the fire-side with them, where they made the\npicture of clay, and placed pins in the breast and in the sides: That\nthey did place pins into the picture of wax, one in every side: That\nthe Black Man did put the pins into the picture of wax, but is not\nsure who did thrust them into the picture of clay: That the pictures\nproduced are the pictures she saw made: That the Black Man\u2019s name was\nEjoal.\u201d\n\nThis declaration was made before famous witnesses, subscribed by the\ntwo notary public for her, Robert Park younger, Patrick Carswel in\nPaisley, and subscribed by the commissioners.\n\nJohn Stewart did judicially depone before the justices, \u201cThat upon\nthe 3d of January instant, Bessie Weir in Pollock-town, came to him\nlate at night. He being without doors at his own house, that she did\nintimate unto him, that there was a meeting to be at his house, the\nnext night; and that the devil, in the shape of a Black Man, Margaret\nJackson, Marjory Craig, and the said Bessie Weir, were to be present;\nand that Bessie Weir required him to be present, which he promised to\ndo: That the next night, after he had gone to bed, the Black Man came\nin, and called him quietly by his name, upon which he arose from his\nbed, and put on his clothes: That Margaret Jackson, Bessie Weir, and\nMarjory Craig, did enter in at the window, in the gavel of his house;\nand that the first thing that the Black Man required was, that he\nshould renounce his baptism, and deliver up himself wholly unto him,\nputting one of his hands on the crown of his head, and the other to\nthe sole of his foot, and that he was tempted hereunto by the devil,\npromising he should not want any pleasure; and that he should get his\nheart sythe on all that should do him wrong: That the new name given\nto him by the devil was Jonas: That thereafter the devil required\nevery one of their consents for the making an effigy of clay, for\ntaking away the life of Sir George Maxwell of Pollock, to revenge\nthe taking of his mother Janet Mathie: That every one of the persons\nabove named, did give their consent to the making of the said effigy;\nand that they wrought the clay; and that the Black Man did make the\nfigure of the head and face, and the two arms to the said effigy:\nThat the devil set three pins in the same, one in each side, and one\nin the breast; and that the said John did hold the candle all the\nwhile the picture was a-making: That he observed one of the Black\nMan\u2019s feet to be cloven, and his apparel was black, and he had a blue\nband about his neck, white hand-cuffs, and hoggars upon his legs\nwithout shoes; and that the Black Man\u2019s voice was hollow and ghostly:\nThat after they had begun to form the picture, his sister Annibal, (a\nchild of 13 or 14 years of age) came knocking to the door; and she\nbeing let in by him, stayed with them a considerable time; but that\nshe went away before the rest, he having opened the door unto her:\nThat the rest went out at the window, through which they entered:\nThat the picture was placed by Bessie Weir in his bedstraw.\u201d Further\nconfessed, \u201cThat she had envy and malice against the said Sir George,\nher quarrel being, as she conceived, that Sir George had not entered\nher husband to his harvest service: That the effigy was made upon the\n4th of January last; and the devil\u2019s name amongst them was Ejoal:\nThat the new name given to himself was Jonas, and Bessie Weir\u2019s name,\nwho was officer, was Sopha; that Margaret Jackson\u2019s name from the\ndevil was Locas; and that his sister\u2019s name was Annipy; but doth not\nremember what Marjory Craig\u2019s name was.\u201d This confession had the same\nsolemnities which the former had.\n\nMargaret Jackson, did the same day judicially confess, \u201cThat she was\npresent at the making of the first effigy, which was made in Janet\nMathie\u2019s house in October last; and that the devil, in the shape of\na Black Man, Janet Mathie, Bessie Weir, Marjory Craig, and Annabil\nStewart were present at the making of the said effigy, which was\nmade to represent Sir George Maxwell of Pollock, for taking away his\nlife: That forty years since, or thereby, she was in Pollock Shaw\u2019s\ncroft, with some few sticks on her back: That the Black Man came to\nher; and that she did give up herself to him from the top of her\nhead to the sole of her foot, having first renounced her baptism,\nand the new name she had from the devil was Locas: That about the 3d\nor 4th of January last, or thereby, in the night time, when she had\nwakened, she found a man in the bed, whom she supposed had been her\nhusband, who had died twenty years before, or thereby; and that the\nman did immediately disappear; and that this man was the devil; and\nthat this was the first time she knew him: That upon Thursday the\n4th of January last, she was present in the house of John Stewart at\nnight, when and where the effigy of clay was made; and that she saw\nthe Black Man\u2019s clothes were black, and that he had white hand-cuffs;\nand that Bessie Weir in Pollock-town, and Annibal Stewart in Shaws,\nand Marjory Craig, were present the foresaid time and place, at the\nmaking of the foresaid effigy of clay: That she gave her consent\nto the making of the same: That the devil\u2019s name was Ejoal.\u201d This\nconfession had the same solemnities which the two former had.\n\nUpon the 15th of February 1677, the justices being convened again in\ncourt at Paisley, John Stewart, and Annibal Stewart, with Margaret\nJackson, did adhere to their former judicial confession; but Janet\nMathie, Bessie Weir, and Marjory Craig did obstinately deny. One\nremarkable passage there was concerning Janet Mathie. The justice\nupon the 27th of January commanded the jailor to fix her feet in\nthe stocks, that she might not do violence to her own life. The man\ndeclared, \u201cThat the next morning he had found her bolster, which the\nnight before was laid at least six yards distant from the stocks,\nnow placed beneath her; the stocks being so heavy, that two of the\nstrongest men in the country could hardly have carried them six\nyards: He wondering, did ask her, How she had win to the bolster?\u201d\nshe answered, \u201cThat she had crept alongst the floor of the room,\ndrawing the stocks to the same place.\u201d And before the court, she\nsaid, \u201cShe had gotten one foot free out of the hole, and with the\nother had drawn the stocks;\u201d a thing altogether impossible, the\nstocks being so weighty, nor was she able to take her foot out of the\nhole.\n\nThe justices having examined all witnesses in matters of fact,\ntouching the effigies, Sir George\u2019s sickness, and the recovery of\nhis health, upon the finding of the same, considering also the bad\nfame of those who were obstinate, and having confronted them with\nthe confessing witches, who in their faces avowed their accession,\nin manner exprest in the confessions above written. Considering,\nlastly, all other circumstances of their case, committed them to the\ntrial of a judicious inquest; who being found guilty, were condemned\nto the fire to be burnt, and their effigies with them. Only Annabil,\nin regard of her nonage, and the evidences she seemed to give of\nher penitency, was reprieved by order of council, but to remain in\nprison. In the mean time, both she and her brother John did seriously\nexhort their mother to confession; and with tears, did Annabil put\nher in mind of the many meetings she had with the devil in her own\nhouse; and that a summer\u2019s day would not be sufficient to relate\nwhat she had seen pass between the devil and her; but nothing could\nprevail with her obdured and hardened heart.\n\nIt is to be noted, the dumb girl, whose name was Janet Douglas, doth\nnow speak, not very distinctly, yet so as she may be understood; and\nis a person that most wonderfully discovers things past, and doth\nalso understand the Latin tongue, which she never learned.\n\n\nII.\u2014_Being a Wonderful discovery of Murder by an Apparition._\n\nAbout the year of our Lord 1632, near unto Chester in the street,\nthere lived one Walker, a yeoman of good estate, and a widower, who\nhad a young woman called Anna Walker to his kinswoman, that kept his\nhouse, who was by the neighbours suspected to be with child; and was,\ntowards the dark of the evening, one night sent away with Mark Sharp,\nwho was a collier, or one that digged coals under ground, and who\nhad been born in Blackburn-hundred in Lancashire, and so she was not\nheard of for a long time, and no noise or little was made about her.\nIn the winter time, one James Graham, being a miller, and living two\nmiles from the place where Walker lived, was one night alone very\nlate in the mill grinding corn; and about twelve or one o\u2019clock at\nnight he came down the stairs, from having been putting corn in the\nhopper, the mill-doors being shut, there stood a woman upon the midst\nof the floor, with her hair about her head, hanging down and all\nbloody, with five large wounds on her head. He being much affrighted\nand amazed, began to bless himself; and at last asked her who she\nwas, and what she wanted? To whom she answered, \u201cI am the spirit of\nsuch a woman, who lived with Walker; and being got with child by\nhim, he promised to send me to a private place, where I should be\nwell look\u2019d to, until I was brought to bed, and well recovered, and\nthen I should come home again, and keep his house. And accordingly,\u201d\nsaid the apparition, \u201cI was one night late, sent away with one Mark\nSharp, who upon a muir (naming a plain which the miller knew) slew\nme with a pick, such as men dig coals withal, and gave me these five\nwounds, and after threw my body into a coal pit hard by, and hid\nthe pick under a bank; and his shoes and stockings being bloody, he\nendeavoured to wash them, but seeing the blood would not wash out,\nhe hid them there.\u201d And the apparition further told the miller,\n\u201cThat he must be the man to reveal it, or else that she must still\nappear and haunt him.\u201d The miller returned home, very sad and heavy,\nand spoke not one word of what he had seen, but shunned as much as\nhe could to stay in the mill after night without company, thinking\nthereby to escape the seeing again that frightful apparition. But\nnotwithstanding, one night when it began to be dark, the apparition\nmet him again, and seemed very fierce and cruel; and threatened\nhim, that if he did not reveal the murder, she would continually\npursue and haunt him: Yet for all this, he concealed it, until some\nfew nights before Christmas; when being, soon after sunset, walking\nin his garden, she appeared again, and then so threatened him, and\naffrighted him, that he faithfully promised to reveal in the next\nmorning.\n\nIn the morning he went to a magistrate, and made the whole matter\nknown, with all the circumstances: And diligent search being made,\nthe body was found in a coal pit, with five wounds in the head, and\nthe pick, and shoes and stockings yet bloody, in every circumstance\nas the apparition had related to the miller. Whereupon Walker and\nSharp were both apprehended, but would confess nothing. At the\nassize following, viz. at Durham, they were arraigned, found guilty,\ncondemned, and executed; but would never confess the fact. There are\nmany persons yet alive that can remember this strange murder; and the\ndiscovery of it; for it was, and sometimes yet is, as much discoursed\nof in the North of England as any thing that almost hath ever been\nheard of, and the relation was printed, though now not to be gotten.\n\n\nIII.\u2014_Touching the Witchcraft of Agnes Simpson._\n\nThough this be of too old a date to comply with the title of our\nstories, yet being a true copy of record, as authentic, though not\nso fresh, it may haply not be amiss briefly to name some effects,\nkinds, and circumstances of her sorcery; as her skill in diseases;\nthat the sickness of William Black was an elf-shot; her taking the\nsick parties pains and sicknesses upon herself for a time, and then\ntranslating them to a third person; her usage of long scriptural\nprayers and rhymes, containing the main points of Christianity, so\nthat she may seem to have been not so much a white witch, as an holy\nwoman; her using of such nonsensical rhymes for the instructing of\nignorant people, and teaching them to pray, as these two prayers,\nthe Black and White Pater Noster in metre, in set forms, to be used\nmorning and evening, and at other times, when occasion offereth.\n\n\n_White Pater Noster._\n\n    GOD was my foster,\n    He fostered me\n    Under the book of palm-tree.\n    Saint Michael was my dame,\n      He was born at Bethlehem.\n    He was made of flesh and blood,\n    God send me my right food;\n    My right food, and dyne too,\n    That I may to yon kirk go,\n    To read upon yon sweet book,\n    Which the mighty God of heaven shook.\n    Open, open heaven\u2019s yaits.\n    Steik, steik hell\u2019s yaits.\n    All saints be the better,\n    That hear the White Prayer, Pater Noster.\n\n\n_The Black Pater Noster runs thus_:\n\n      Four neuks in this house for haly angels,\n    A post in the midst, that Christ Jesus,\n    Lucas, Marcas, Matthew, Joannes,\n    God be into this house, and all that belang us.\n\nBut when she sought for an answer from the devil upon any occasion,\nhe appeared to her in the shape of a dog. But the way of dismissing\nand conjuring him to go was thus: I charge thee to depart on the law\nthou lives on, as she did, when she dismissed him after consulting\nhim about the old Lady Edmiston\u2019s sickness. But the manner how she\nraised the devil was with these words: Elva, come and speak to\nme;\u2014who came in the likeness of a dog. Her sailing with her kimmers\nand fellow witches in a boat to a ship, is very remarkable, where the\ndevil caused her and them to drink good wine and beer without money;\nshe neither seeing the mariners, nor the mariners her; and after all,\nthe devil raised a wind, whereby the ship perished. Her baptizing and\nusing other ceremonies upon a cat, with other witches, to hinder\nQueen Anne from coming into Scotland. Her raising of a spirit to\nconjure a picture of wax for destroying Mr. John Moscrope.\n\nBut to be more particular, I shall give you her own confession to\nKing James. Item, Failied and convict of so much, that the devil, in\nman\u2019s likeness, met her going out to the fields from her own house\nat Keith, betwixt five and six at even, being alone, and commanded\nher to be at North Berwick kirk the next night. To which place she\ncame on horseback, conveyed by her good-son, called John Couper,\nand lighted at the kirk yard, or a little before she came to it,\nabout eleven hours at even. They danced along the kirk yard, Geilie\nDuncan playing on a trump, and John Fein muzzled led the king; the\nsaid Agnes and her daughter followed next. Besides, there were Kate\nGray, George Moilis\u2019s wife, Robert Grierson, Katherine Duncan, Bessie\nWright, Isobel Gilmour, John Graymail, Duncan Buchanan, Thomas\nBarnhill, and his wife, Gilbert Mackgill, John Mackgill, Katharine\nMackgill, with the rest of their kimmers, above an 100 persons,\nwhereof there were six men, and all the rest women. The women made\nfirst their courtesy to their master, and then the men. The men\nturning nine times widdershines\u2019 about, and the women six times. John\nFein blew up the kirk-doors, and blew in the lights, which were like\nmeikle black candles sticking round about the pulpit.\n\nThe devil started up himself in the pulpit like a meikle black man;\nand calling the row, every one answered, Here. Mr. Rob. Grierson\nbeing named, they all ran hirdie girdie, and were angry, for it was\npromised he should be called Robert the Comptroller, _alias_ Robert\nthe Rower, for expriming of his name.\n\nThe first thing he demanded was, If they all kept promise, and had\nbeen good servants, and what they had done since the last time they\nhad convened. At his command, they opened up three graves, two\nwithin, and one out of the kirk, and cutted off from the dead corpses\nthe joints of their fingers, toes, and nose, and parted them amongst\nthem; and the said Agnes Simpson got, for her part, a winding-sheet\nand two joints. The devil commanded them to keep the joints upon them\ntill they were dry, and then to make a powder of them, to do evil\nwithal. Then he commanded them to keep his commandments, which were\nto do all the evil and mischief they could. Before they departed, and\nwere dismist, they behoved to kiss his arse, (with reverence to the\nreader.) He had on him a gown and a coat, which were both black. And\nthey that were assembled, part stood and part sat. John Fein was ever\nnearest the devil, at his left elbock. Graymail keeped the door.\n\nThat which is observable in John Fein is, that the devil appeared to\nhim, not in the black, but in white raiment; but proposed as hellish\na covenant to him as those fiends to appear in black. His skimming in\nthe sea in a boat, is remarkable, with those of his accomplices: and\nhis fortelling the leak in the Queen\u2019s ship by the help of the devil.\nHis raising winds with the rest, when the king sailed into Denmark,\nby casting a cat into the sea, which the devil delivered to them, and\ntaught them to cry, Hola, when they first cast it in. His raising a\nmist at the king\u2019s return from Denmark, by getting Satan to cast a\nthing like a foot ball (it appearing to John like a wisp) into the\nsea, which made a reek to arise, whereby the king\u2019s majesty might\nbe cast upon the coast of England. His opening of locks by sorcery,\nby mere blowing into a woman\u2019s hand, while he sat by the fire. His\nembarking in a boat with other witches, and all of them sailing over\nsea, and entering within a ship, and drinking good wine and ale\nthere, and sinking the ship when they had done, with the persons\nin it. His kissing Satan\u2019s arse (with reverence) again at another\nconventical. His being swiftly carried above in the air, in chasing\nof a cat, to catch her to cast into the sea, thereby to raise winds,\naccording to the prescription of Satan. His pretending to tell any\nman how long he should live, if he told him but the day of his birth.\n\n\n\n\nIV.\u2014_A Proclamation over the Market Cross of Edinburgh, at twelve\no\u2019clock at night._\n\n\nAfter that king James IV. had mustered his army in the Burrow-muir,\nbeing at that time a large spacious field, and most pleasant and\ndelightful, by reason of many stately oaks which overshadowed the\nplace; about midnight, in the month of July, there was a proclamation\nheard at the market-cross of the town, summoning a great many\nburgesses, gentlemen, barons, and noblemen, to appear before the\ntribunal of one Plotcock.\n\nThe provost of the town, standing in his own fore-stair, or gallery,\nhaving heard his own name cited, cried out, \u201cThat he declined that\njudicatory, and appealed to the mercy of God.\u201d This was the army\nwhich the king led into England, and were defeat at Flodden, on the\nfatal day, Tuesday the 9th of September 1513, where the King, with\nnear about five thousand of the noblest and worthiest families of the\nkingdom, did fall.\n\n\n\n\nV.\u2014_A miraculous Cure of a Dutch Woman, accompanied with an\nApparition._\n\n\nThe narrative taken by a Dutch merchant from her own mouth, begins\nthus:\u2014A miraculous cure upon Jesch Claes, a woman about fifty years\nof age, for these many years well known to myself and the neighbours.\nThis woman for fourteen years had been lame of both her legs, one of\nthem being dead and without feeling, so that she could not go, but\ncreep upon the ground, or was carried in people\u2019s arms as a child,\nbut now through the power of God Almighty she hath walked again,\nwhich came to pass after this manner, as I have written it from her\nown mouth.\n\nIn the year 1676, about the 13th or 14th of this month of October,\nin the night, between one and two o\u2019clock, Jesch Claes being in bed\nwith her husband, who was a boatman, she was three times pulled by\nthe arm, with which she awaked, and cried out, O Lord! what may this\nbe? Hereupon she heard an answer in plain words, \u201cBe not afraid, I\nam come in the name of God, to tell you, that your malady, which\nhath been for many years upon you, shall depart, and it shall be\ngiven you from God Almighty to walk again. But keep this to yourself\ntill further answer.\u201d Whereupon she cried aloud, O Lord! that I had\na light that I might know what this is. Then had she this answer,\n\u201cThere needs no light. Light shall be given you from God.\u201d Then\ncame a light over all the room; and she saw a beautiful youth about\nten years of age, with curled yellow hair, in white raiment to\nthe feet, who went from the bed-head to the chimney with a light,\nwhich a little after evanished. Hereupon did something gush from\nher hip, or diffuse itself through her leg as a water, to her great\ntoe, where she found life rising up; and feeling it with her hand,\nshe cries out, \u201cLord give me now again my feeling, which I have not\nhad for so many years.\u201d And she continued crying and praying to the\nLord according to her weak measure. Yet she continued that day being\nWednesday, and the next day Thursday, as before, till evening at six\no\u2019clock; at which time she sat at the fire, dressing the food. Then\nthere came, as a rushing noise in both her ears, with which it was\nsaid to her, \u201cStand, your walking is given you again.\u201d Then did she\nimmediately stand up, that had for so many years crept, and went to\nthe door: her husband meeting her, was exceedingly afraid, and drew\nback. In the mean while she cried out, \u201cMy dear husband, I can walk\nagain.\u201d The man, thinking it was a spirit, drew back, saying, \u201cYou\nare not my wife;\u201d but his wife taking hold of him, said, \u201cMy dear\nhusband, I am the self-same that hath been married these thirty years\nto you. The Almighty God hath made me to walk again.\u201d But her husband\nbeing amazed, drew back to the side of the room, till at last she\nclaspt her arms about his neck; and yet he doubted, and said to his\ndaughter, \u201cIs this your mother?\u201d She answered, \u201cYes, father, this is\nmy mother indeed, I have seen her walk also, before you came in.\u201d\nThis person dwells upon Prince\u2019s Island in Amsterdam. This relation\nis attested by many famous witnesses.\n\n\n\n\nVI.\u2014_Strange pranks played by the Devil at Woodstock in England, anno\n1649._\n\n\nThe commissioners, October 13, 1649, with their servants, being come\nto the manor-house, they took up their lodging in the king\u2019s own\nrooms, the bed-chamber, and withdrawing room: the former whereof\nthey also made their kitchen; the council-hall their brew-house; the\nchamber of presence, their place of sitting to dispatch business;\nand a wood-house of the dining-room, where they laid the wood of\nthat ancient standard in the High Park, known of all by the name of\nthe King\u2019s Oak, which (that nothing might remain that had the name\nof King affixed to it) they digged up by the roots. October 14th\nand 15th, they had little disturbance; but on the 16th there came,\nas they thought, somewhat into the bed-chamber, where two of the\ncommissioners and their servants lay, in the shape of a dog, which\ngoing under their beds, did, as it were, gnaw their bed cords; but on\nthe morrow finding them whole, and a quarter of beef, which lay on\nthe ground untouched, they began to entertain other thoughts.\n\nOctober 17. Something, to their thinking, removed all the wood of\nthe King\u2019s Oak, out of the dining-room to the presence-chamber, and\nhurled the chairs and stools up and down that room: From whence it\ncame into the two chambers where the commissioners and their servants\nlay, and hoisted up the feet of their beds so much higher than their\nheads, that they thought they should have been turned over and over,\nand then let them fall down with such force, that their bodies\nrebounded from the bed a good distance, and then shook the bedsteads\nso violently, that themselves confest their bodies were sore with it.\n\nOctober 18. Something came into the bed-chamber, and walked up and\ndown, and fetching the warming-pan out of the withdrawing-room, made\nso much noise, that they thought five bells could not have made more.\nAnd October 19th, Trenchers were thrown up and down the dining-room,\nand at them who lodged there; one of them being wakened, put forth\nhis head to see what was the matter, but had trenchers thrown at it.\n\nOctober 20th. The curtains of the bed in the withdrawing-room were\ndrawn to and fro, and the bed-stead much shaken, and eight great\npewter dishes, and three dozen of trenchers, thrown about the\nbed-chamber again. This night they also thought a whole armful of the\nwood of the King\u2019s Oak were thrown down in their chambers, but of\nthat in the morning they found nothing had been moved.\n\nOctober 21st. The keeper of their ordinary, and his bitch lay in one\nof the rooms with them, which night they were not disturbed at all.\nBut Oct. 22d, Though the bitch kennelled there again, to whom they\nascribed their former night\u2019s rest, both they and the bitch were in a\npitiful taking, the bitch opening but once, and that with a whining\nfearful yelp.\n\nOctober 23. They had all their clothes pluck\u2019d off them in the\nwithdrawing room, and the bricks fell out of the chimney into the\nroom.\n\nOn the 24th, They thought in the dining-room, that all the wood of\nthe King\u2019s Oak had been brought thither, and thrown down close by\ntheir bed-side; which being heard by those of the withdrawing-room,\none of them rose to see what was done, fearing indeed that his\nfellow commissioners had been killed, but found no such matter.\nWhereupon returning to his bed again, he found two or three dozen of\ntrenchers thrown into it, and handsomely covered with the bed clothes.\n\nOctober 25. The curtains of the bed in the withdrawing-room were\ndrawn to and fro, and the bed-stead shaken as before; and in the\nbed-chamber, glass flew about so thick (and yet not one lozen of\nthe chamber windows broken) that they thought it had rained money,\nwhereupon they lighted candles; but, to their grief, they found\nnothing but glass.\n\nOctober 29. Something going to the window opened and shut it; then\ngoing into the bed-chamber, it threw great stones, for half an\nhour\u2019s time, some whereof lighted on the high-bed, others on the\ntruckle-bed, to the number in all of above fourscore. This night\nthere was also a very great noise, as if forty pieces of ordnance\nhad been shot off together. At two several knocks, it astonished all\nthe neighbouring dwellers, which is thought might have been heard a\ngreat way off. During these noises, which were heard in both rooms\ntogether, both commissioners and their servants were struck with so\ngreat horror, that they cried out one to another for help: whereon\none of them recovering himself out of a strange agony he had been in,\nsnatched a sword, and had like to have killed one of his brethren\ncoming out of his bed in his shirt, whom he took for the spirit that\ndid the mischief. However, at length they got all together, yet the\nnoise continued so great and terrible, and shook the walls so much,\nthat they thought the whole manor would have fallen on their heads.\nAt its departure, it took all the glass of the windows away with it.\n\nNovember 1. Something, as they thought, walked up and down the\nwithdrawing-room, and then made a noise in the dining-room. The\nstones which were left before, and laid up in the withdrawing, room\nwere all fetched away this night, and a great deal of glass (not like\nthe former) thrown about again.\n\nNovember 2. There came something into the withdrawing-room, treading\nas they conceived, much like a bear, which first only walked about a\nquarter of an hour; at length it made a noise about the table, and\nthrew the warming pan so violently, that it quite spoiled it. It\nthrew also a glass and great stones at them again, and the bones of\nhorses; and all so violently, that the bed-stead and the walls were\nbruised by them. That night they planted candles all about the rooms,\nand made fires up to the rantletrees of the chimneys, but were all\nput out, no body knew how, the fire and burn-wood, which made it,\nbeing thrown up and down the rooms; the curtains torn with the rods\nfrom their beds, and the bed-posts pulled away, that the tester fell\ndown upon them, and the feet of the bed-stead cloven into two. And\nupon the servants in the truckle-bed, who lay all the time sweating\nfor fear, there was first a little, which made them begin to stir,\nbut before they could get out, there came a whole tub-full, as it\nwere, of stinking ditch water down upon them, so green, that it made\ntheir shirts and sheets of that colour too.\n\nThe same night the windows were all broken by throwing of stones, and\nthere was most terrible noises in three several places together, to\nthe extraordinary wonder of all that lodged near them. Nay, the very\nrabbit-stealers, who were abroad that night, were so affrighted with\nthe dismal thundering, that for haste they left their ferrets in the\nholes behind them, beyond Rosamond\u2019s well. Notwithstanding of all\nthis, one of them had the boldness to ask, \u201cIn the name of God what\nit was that it would have, and what they had done, that they should\nbe so disturbed after this manner?\u201d To which no answer was given,\nbut it ceased for a while. At length it came again, and, as all of\nthem said, brought seven devils worse than itself. Whereupon one of\nthem lighted a candle again, and set it between the two chambers in\nthe door-way, on which another fixing his eyes, saw the similitude\nof a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into the middle of the\nbed-chamber, and afterwards making three scrapes on the snuff to put\nit out. Upon this, the same person was so bold as to draw his sword,\nbut he had scarce got it out, when there was another invisible hand\nhad hold of it too, and tugged with him for it; and, prevailing,\nstruck him so violently, that he was stunned with the blow.\n\nThen began violent noises again, insomuch that they called to one\nanother, got together, and went into the presence-chamber, where\nthey said prayers, and sung psalms: notwithstanding all which, the\nthundering noise still continued in other rooms. After this, November\n3d, they removed their lodging over the gate; and next day, being\nSunday, went to Ewelm, where how they escaped, the authors of the\nrelation knew not. But returning on Monday, the devil (for that was\nthe name they gave their nightly guest) left them not unvisited, nor\non the Tuesday following, which was the last day they stayed.\n\n\n\n\nVII.\u2014_An Apparition to King James the IV. and his Courtiers, in the\nkirk of Linlithgow._\n\n\nWhile the king stayed at Linlithgow, attending the gathering of his\narmy, which was defeat at Floudon, being full of care and perplexity,\nhe went into the church of St. Michael, to hear evening song, as\nthen it was called. While he was at his devotion, an ancient man\ncame in, his amber coloured hair hanging down about his shoulders,\nhis forehead high, and inclining to baldness, his garments of azure\ncolour, somewhat long, girded about with a towel, or table napkin,\nof a comely and very reverent aspect. Having enquired for the king,\nhe intruded himself into the press, passing through till he came\nto him, with a clownish simplicity, leaning over the canon\u2019s seat,\nwhere the king sat, \u201cSir (said he) I am sent hither to entreat you\nto delay your expedition for this time, and proceed no farther in\nyour intended journey; for if you do, you shall not prosper in your\nenterprise, nor any of your followers. I am further charged to warn\nyou, not to use the acquaintance, company, or counsel of woman, as\nyou tender your honour, life, and estate.\u201d After this warning, he\nwithdrew himself back again into the press. When service was ended,\nthe King enquired earnestly for him, but he could be no where found,\nneither could any of the bystanders (of whom divers did narrowly\nobserve him, resolving afterwards to have discoursed with him) feel\nor perceive how, when, or where he passed from them, having in a\nmanner vanished in their hands.\n\n\n\n\nVIII.\u2014_Anent the Major who returned from death to tell the Captain\nwhether there was a GOD or not._\n\n\nConcerning the apparition of the Ghost of Major Geo. Sydenham (late\nof Dulverton, in the county of Somerset) to Captain William Dyke,\n(late of Skilgate in this county also, and now likewise deceased)\nbe pleased to take the relation of it from a worthy and learned\ngentleman, Dr. Thomas Dyke, a near kinsman of the captain\u2019s, thus:\nShortly after the major\u2019s death, the doctor was desired to come\nto the house to take care of a child that was sick there; and in\nhis way thither he called on the captain, who was very willing to\nwait on him to the place, because he must, as he said, have gone\nthither that night, though he had not met with so encouraging, an\nopportunity. After their arrival there at the house, and the civility\nof the people shewn them in that entertainment, they were seasonably\nconducted to their lodging, which they desired might be together\nin the same bed; where, after they had lain a while, the captain\nknock\u2019d, and bid the servants bring him two of the largest and\nhighest candles lighted he could get; whereupon the doctor enquires\nwhat he meant by this? The captain answers, \u201cYou know, cousin, what\ndisputes my major and I have had touching the being of God, and the\nimmortality of the soul; in which points, we could never yet be\nresolved, though we so much sought for and desired it. And therefore\nit was at length fully agreed between us, that he who of us died\nfirst, should, the third night after his funeral, between the hours\nof twelve and one, come to the little house which is here in the\ngarden, and there give a full account to the survivor, touching\nthese matters, who should be sure to be present there at the set\ntime, and to receive a full satisfaction. And this (says the captain)\nis the very night, and I am come on purpose to fulfil my promise.\u201d\nThe doctor dissuaded him, minding of the danger of following strange\ncounsels, for which he could have no warrant; and that the devil\nmight, by some cunning device, take such an advantage of this rash\nattempt, as might work his utter ruin. The captain replies, \u201cThat he\nhad solemnly engaged, and that nothing should discourage him;\u201d and\nadds, \u201cThat if the doctor would wake a while with him, he would thank\nhim, if not, he might compose himself to rest; but for his own part,\nhe was resolved to watch, that he might be sure to be present at the\nhour appointed.\u201d To that purpose he sets his watch by him, and as\nsoon as he perceived by it that it was half past eleven, he rises,\nand, taking a candle in each hand, goes out by a back door, of which\nhe had before gotten the key, and walks into the garden-house, where\nhe continued two hours and a half, and at his return, declared that\nhe neither saw nor heard any thing more than what was usual. But I\nknow, said he, that my major would surely have come had he been able.\n\nAbout six weeks after, the captain rides to Eaton, to place his son\na scholar there, when the doctor went thither with him. They lodged\nthere at an inn, the sign whereof was Christopher, and tarried two\nor three nights, not lying together now as before at Dulverton, but\nin two several chambers. The morning before they went thence, the\ncaptain stayed in his chamber longer than he was wont to do, before\nhe called upon the doctor. At length he comes into the doctor\u2019s\nchamber, but in a visage and form much differing from himself,\nwith his hair and eyes staring, and his whole body shaking and\ntrembling. Whereat the doctor wondering, presently demanded, \u201cWhat\nis the matter, cousin captain?\u201d The captain replies, \u201cI have seen my\nmajor.\u201d At which the doctor seeming to smile, the captain confirms\nit, saying, \u201cIf ever I saw him in my life, I saw him but now.\u201d And\nthen related to the doctor what had passed thus: \u201cThis morning after\nit was light, some one comes to my bed side, and suddenly drawing\nback the curtains, calls, Captain, captain, (which was the term of\nfamiliarity that the major used to call the captain by;) to whom I\nreplied, What, my major?\u201d To which he returns, \u201cI could not come at\nthe time appointed, but I am now come to tell you, That there is a\nGod, and a very just and terrible one; and if you do not turn o\u2019er a\nnew leaf (the very expression, as the doctor punctually remembered,)\nyou shall find it so.\u201d The captain proceeded: \u201cOn the table by there\nlay a sword, which the major had formerly given me. Now, after the\napparition had walked a turn or two about the chamber, he took up the\nsword, drew it, and finding it not so clean and bright as it ought,\n\u201cCaptain, captain,\u201d (says he) this sword did not use to be kept\nafter this manner when it was mine.\u201d After which words he presently\ndisappeared.\n\nThe captain was not only thoroughly persuaded of what he had thus\nseen and heard, but was from the time observed to be very much\naffected with it. And the humour, which before in him was brisk and\njovial, was then strangely altered; in so much as very little meat\nwould pass down with him at dinner, though at the taking leave of\nfriends, there was a very handsome treat provided. Yea, it was\nobserved, that what the captain had thus seen and heard, had a more\nlasting influence upon him; and it was judged by those who were\nwell acquainted with his conversation, that the remembrance of this\npassage stuck close to him; and that those words of his dead friend\nwere frequently sounding fresh in his ears, during the remainder of\nhis life, which was about two years.\n\n\n\n\nIX.\u2014_A remarkable story of discovered witchcraft at Lauder_, anno\n1649. _And of the wiles which the devil used in deceiving poor\ncreatures._\n\n\nIn the beginning of the year 1649, a common report passing up and\ndown in all men and women\u2019s mouths, of an eminent warlock, whose\nname was Robert Grieve, _alias_ Hob Grieve, trafficking in these\nparts of the country, and deceiving many simple people. He was at\nlast discovered, apprehended, and imprisoned at the town of Lauder:\nand after long shifting and denial, wherein he had learned of his\nhellish master to be most subtile, by the great goodness of God he\nwas at length brought to a serious acknowledgement of his guilt,\nand confession of his being the devil\u2019s officer in that country,\nfor warning all Satan\u2019s vassals to come to the meetings where, and\nwhensoever, the devil required, for the space of eighteen years and\nmore. He acknowledged also, That his wife (who twenty years, or\nthereabout, before, was burnt at Lauder,) was the occasion of his\ncoming into that snare; for they being poor, and having little or\nnothing to live upon, he began to grudge under that condition, and\nto complain of his lot; which his wife perceiving, desired him not\nto be troubled, but shewed him, that if he would follow her counsel,\nshe should acquaint him with a gentleman who would teach him a way\nhow to become rich. To which motion he hearkened, and at her desire\nwent down with her to a haugh on Galawater, near to the Stow, where\nshe trysted the gentleman; and when they had come to that place,\nand tarried a considerable space, seeing nobody, he began to weary,\nand told her, that he would be gone; but she pressing him to stay,\nand assuring him that the gentleman would not fail her. At length\ntheir came a great mastiff bigger than any butcher\u2019s dog, and very\nblack, running upon him, which put him into such a confusion, and\nastonishment of spirit, as that he knew not where he was; but his\nwife laboured to comfort him under that consternation, assuring him,\nthat the gentleman would come presently and perform what she had\npromised him.\n\nAnd accordingly, in a short space, the devil appeared in the shape\nof a Black Man, and fitting his discourse to the man\u2019s temptation,\nmade many promises to him, That if he would become his servant and\nobey him, he would teach him ways how to be made much of in all\nthe country; unto which demand of the devil he acknowledged, that\nhe consented, not so much for any hopes for future riches, as for\nfear lest he should instantly be devoured by him, (for he suspected\nin the very mean time it was the devil) and then he gave him that\ncharge to be his officer to warn all to the meetings, (as was said\nbefore) in which charge he continued for the space of eighteen years\nand more, until he was apprehended. He was most ingenuous in his\nconfession. An evidence whereof was this, \u201cThat there was neither man\nnor woman delated by him, but were all confessors when apprehended,\nand confronted with him, and died confessing. One instance whereof\nis remarkable, and worthy of observation, which is this\u2014After he\nhad delated many, and as many of those were apprehended as the\nprison could conveniently contain, and the keepers attend, he gave\nup another woman in the town of Lauder, whose name the magistrates\nresolved to conceal for a time, till the prison should be emptied\nof some of those who were already apprehended, and had confessed;\nand accordingly secrecy was engaged unto. But the devil came that\nsame night unto her, and told her, \u201cThat Hob Grieve had blamed her\nfor a witch; but assured her, that if she would rise up and go and\nchallenge him for it, and never come away till he and she were\nconfronted, that then he would deny it. Whereupon she arose and\ncame to the prison window, and railed upon Hob Grieve, calling him\nwarlock, and slave to the devil, and all evils which her mouth could\nutter; and when desired to get home by the centinels, and also by\nthe magistrates, she sat down upon the tolbooth stair, and said,\n\u201cShe could never go to her house till she and that slave of the\ndevil were confronted. Whereupon the bailie came to the preacher,\ndesiring him to come and speak to her, to desire her to go home, for\nthere was none accusing her, who accordingly came, and entreated\nher to go home; but she obstinately refusing to go, till she should\nbe confronted with that rascal, who had declared her, an honest\nwoman, for a witch. The bailie was constrained to grant her desire.\nWhereupon many being present as witnesses, she was conveyed up to\nprison, to the room where Hob Grieve was. And as soon as she was come\nin sight, she fell down upon her knees, and began to scold the man,\nand accuse him of a lie, in speaking of her name. Says she, \u201cThou\ncommon thief, how dare thou for thy soul say, that ever before this\ntime, thou saw me or I saw thee, or ever was in thy company, either\nalone, or with others.\u201d All which language he heard very patiently,\ntill he was desired by the bailie to speak. Whereupon he asked her,\nHow she came to know, that he had delated her for a witch? For (says\nhe) surely none but the devil, thy old master, and mine, has told\nthee so much. She replied, \u201cThe devil and thou perish together, for\nhe is not my master, though he be thine; I defy the devil and all his\nworks.\u201d Whereupon he says to her, \u201cWhat needs all this din? Dost thou\nnot know, these many years I have come to thy house, and warned thee\nto meetings, and thou and I have gone along together?\u201d And thereafter\nhe condescended to her upon several places, and actions done in these\nplaces by her and others; \u201cto all which, I am, (said he) a witness.\u201d\nBy this she was so confounded, that immediately, in the presence of\nthe bailie, the preacher, the schoolmaster, and many witnesses, she\ncried out, \u201cOh now (says she) I perceive that the devil is a liar, a\nmurderer from the beginning; for this night he came to me, and bid me\ncome and abuse thee; and he assured me, thou would deny all, and say,\nthou false tongue thou lied. And she with many tears confessed, that\nit was all truth which he had said, and prayed the minister, that he\nwould entreat God for her poor soul, that she might be delivered out\nof the hands of the devil. Under this confession she continued even\nunto the day of her death.\n\nAnother evidence of ingenuity in him was this: That after five or\nsix men and women whom he had delated, were also convinced and had\nconfessed their witchcraft, he earnestly desired, \u201cThat he and they\nmight be taken to the church on the Lord\u2019s day, to hear the word of\nGod;\u201d which being granted, and they conveyed with a guard to the\nchurch, all of them sat down before the pulpit. The preacher lectured\non these words, Mark ix. 21. \u201cAnd oft-time it hath cast him into\nthe fire, and into the water to destroy him,\u201d &c. The father of the\nlunatic child complained to Christ of the devil\u2019s cruelty towards his\nson. And the preacher briefly noted this observation from the words,\n\u201cThat whatever the devil did to such as he had gotten any power over,\nhis aim and end was always to destroy the poor creature both soul\nand body.\u201d This truth being seriously applied, and spoken home by\nthe preacher to the said Hob Grieve, and the rest of the confessing\nWitches and Warlocks, they were all immediately so confounded, that\nall of them cried out with a lamentable noise, \u201cAlas I that is a\nmost sure truth; Oh, what will become of us, poor wretches! Oh, pray\nfor us.\u201d But Hob Grieve especially bare witness to that sad truth,\nby a general declaration, in the face of the congregation, he had\nexperience of the truth, thereof. \u201cFor (said he) there is no trusting\nto his promises; for in Musselburgh-water, when I had a heavy creel\nupon my back, he thought to have drowned me there; and since I came\ninto prison, he did cast me into the fire to destroy me, as is well\nknown to the preacher and magistrates of the place and many others;\nand concluded with an exhortation to all to beware of the devil.\n\u201cFor whatever he saith or doth, his purpose is to destroy you, and\nthat you will find to be the end of his work, as we know to our\ndoleful experience this day.\u201d Another evidence of the devil\u2019s art\nin studying the destruction of the poor creature, was manifest,\nin that same place, and year 1649. A certain woman in the town of\nLauder was blamed, not by Hob Grieve, but by some other, and for a\nlong time denied. The magistrates of the place, for this cause, were\nloth to meddle with her, but adjudged to death all the rest, who had\nconfessed; and ordained them to be burnt upon the Monday after; she\nhearing of this, and she alone was to remain in prison, without hopes\nof escape, was prompted by the devil to make up a confession in her\nown bosom, as she supposed might take away her life; and thereupon\nsent for the minister, and made that confession of witchcraft which\nshe herself had patched up, before witnesses; and in the close, she\nearnestly entreated the magistrates and ministers, \u201cThat she might\nbe burnt with the rest upon Monday next.\u201d Her confession was, \u201cThat\nshe had covenanted with the devil, and had become his servant about\ntwenty years before, when she was but a young lass: and that he\nkissed her, and gave her a name, but since he had never owned her;\nand that she knew no more of the works of the devil, as she should\nanswer to God, but what she had said was true.\u201d But intelligent\npersons began to be jealous of the truth of that confession, and\nbegan to suspect, That out of the pride of her heart, in a desperate\nway, she had made up that confession to destroy her life, because she\nstill pressed to be cut off with the rest on Monday. Therefore much\npains was taken on her by ministers and others on Saturday, Sunday,\nand Monday morning, that she might resile from that confession, which\nwas suspected to be but a temptation of the devil to destroy both her\nsoul and body; yea it was charged home upon her by the ministers,\nthat there was just ground of jealousy, that her confession was not\nsincere, and she was charged before the Lord to declare the truth,\nand not take her blood upon her own head. Yet stiffly she adhered to\nwhat she had said, and cried always to be put away with the rest.\nWhereupon, on Monday morning, being called before the judges, and\nconfessing before them what she said, she was found guilty, and\ncondemned to die with the rest that same day. Being carried forth\nto the place of execution, she remained silent, during the first,\nsecond, and third prayer, and then perceiving that there remained\nno more, but to rise and go to the stake, she lifted up her body,\nand with a loud voice, cried out, \u201cNow all you that see me this day,\nknow that I am now to die a witch by my own confession, and I free\nall men, especially the ministers and magistrates, of the guilt of\nmy blood. I take it wholly upon myself, my blood be upon my own\nhead. And as I must make answer to the God of heaven presently, I\ndeclare, I am as free of witchcraft as any child; but being delated\nby a malicious woman, and put in prison under the name of a witch,\ndisowned by my husband and friends, and seeing no ground of hope of\nmy coming out of prison, or ever coming in credit again, through\nthe temptation of the devil I made up that confession, on purpose\nto destroy my own life, being weary of it, and chusing rather to\ndie than live; and so died.\u201d Which lamentable story, as it did then\nastonish all the spectators, none of which could restrain themselves\nfrom tears, so it may be to all a demonstration of Satan\u2019s subtilty,\nwhose design is still to destroy all, partly by tempting many to\npresumption, and some others to dispair. These things are attested\nto be true by an eye and ear-witness, who is yet alive, a faithful\nminister of the gospel.\n\n\n\n\nX.\u2014_A true narrative of the Drummer of Tedworth._\n\n\nIn the year 1661, about the middle of March, a gentleman named Mr.\nMompesson, in the county of Wilts, being at a neighbouring town,\ncalled Ludgarshal, and hearing a drum beat there, he enquired of\nthe bailie of the town, at whose house he then was, what it meant.\nThe bailie told him, That they had been for some days troubled with\nan idle drummer, who demanded money of the constable, by virtue of\na pretended pass, which he thought was counterfeit. Upon this Mr.\nMompesson sent for the fellow, and asked him by what authority he\nwent up and down the country with his drum? The drummer answered,\nHe had good authority, and produced his pass, with a warrant under\nthe hands of Sir William Cowley, and Col. Ayliff of Creetenham. Mr.\nMompesson knowing these gentlemen\u2019s hands, discovered that the pass\nand warrant were counterfeit, and thereupon commanded the vagrant to\nput off his drum, and charged the constable to carry him before the\nnext justice of the peace to be further examined, and punished. The\nfellow confessed the cheat, and begged only to have his drum. Mr.\nMompesson told him, That if he understood from Colonel Ayliff, whose\ndrummer he said he was, that he had been an honest man, he should\nhave it again; but in the mean time he would secure it. So he left\nthe drum with the bailie, and the drummer in the constable\u2019s hands,\nwho, it seems, was prevailed on by the fellow\u2019s intreaties to let\nhim go.\u2014\u2014About the midst of April following, when Mr. Mompesson was\npreparing for a journey to London, the bailie sent the drum to his\nhouse. When he returned from that journey, his wife told him that\nthey had been much affrighted in the night by thieves, and that the\nhouse had been like to have been broken up; and he had not been at\nhome above three nights, when the same noise was heard, that had\ndisturbed his family in his absence. It was a very great din and\nknocking at his doors, and the outside of his house. Hereupon he got\nup, and went about the house with a brace of pistols in his hands. He\nopened the door where the great knocking was, and then he heard the\nnoise at another door. He opened that also, and went out round his\nhouse, but could discover nothing, only he heard a strange noise, as\na thumping and drumming on the top of his house, which continued a\ngreat space, and then by degrees went off into the air. After this\nthe noise of thumping and drumming was very frequent, usually five\nnights together, and then it would intermit three. It was on the out\nsides of the house, which is most of it of board. It came constantly\nas they were going to sleep, whether early or late. After a month\u2019s\ndisturbance without, it came into the room where the drum lay, four\nor five nights in seven, within half an hour after they were in bed,\ncontinuing almost two hours. The sign of it just before it came\nwas, they still heard an hurling in the air over the house; and at\nits going off the beating of a drum, like that at the breaking up\nof a guard. It continued in the room for the space of two months,\nwhich time Mr. Mompesson lay there to observe it. In the fore-part\nof the night, it used to be very troublesome, but after two hours\nall would be quiet.\u2014\u2014Mrs. Mompesson being brought to bed, there was\nbut little noise that night she was in travel, nor any for three\nweeks after, till she had recovered strength. But after this civil\ncessation it returned in a ruder manner than before, and followed\nand vext the youngest children, beating their bedsteads with that\nviolence, that all present expected when they would fall in pieces.\nIn laying hands on them, one should feel no blows, but might perceive\nthem to shake exceedingly. For an hour together it would beat on\nthe drum, roundheads and cuckolds, and tat-too, and several other\npoints of war, as well as any drummer could. After this they would\nhear a scraping under the children\u2019s bed, as by something that had\niron talons. It would lift the children up in their beds, follow them\nfrom one room to another, and for a while haunt none particularly but\nthem. There was a cock-loft in the house, which had not been observed\nto have been troubled, thither they removed the children, putting\nthem to bed, while it was fair day, where they were no sooner laid,\nbut their troubler was with them as before.\u2014On the 1st of November\n1662, it kept a mighty noise; and a servant observing two boards in\nthe children\u2019s room seeming to move, he bid it give him one of them;\nupon which the board came (nothing moving it that he saw) within\na yard of him. The man added, \u201cNay, let me have it in my hand;\u201d\nupon which it was shut quite home to him; he thrust it back, and it\nwas driven to him again, and so up and down, to and fro, at least\ntwenty times together, till Mr. Mompesson forbad his servant\u2019s such\nfamiliarities. This was in the day time, and seen by a whole roomful\nof people: that morning it left a sulphureous smell behind it, which\nwas very offensive. At night the minister, one Mr. Craig and divers\nof the neighbours, came to the house on a visit. The minister went\nto prayer with them, kneeling at the children\u2019s bed-side; during\nprayer-time, it withdrew into the cock-loft, but returned as soon\nas prayer was ended; and then, in sight of the company, the chairs\nwalked about the room of themselves; the children\u2019s shoes were hurled\nover their head, and every loose thing moved about the chamber. At\nthe same time a bed-staff was thrown at the minister, which hit\nhim on the leg, but so favourably, that some wool could not have\nfallen more softly; and it was observed, that it stopt just where it\nlighted, without rolling or stirring from that place. Mr. Mompesson\nperceiving that it so much persecuted the young children, he lodged\nthem out at a neighbour\u2019s house, taking his eldest daughter, who was\nabout ten years of age, into his own chamber, where it had not been a\nmonth before. As soon as she was in bed, the disturbance began there\nagain, continuing drumming and making noises; and it was observed,\nthat it would exactly answer in drumming any thing that was beaten\nor called for. After this, the house where the children were lodging\nin, happening to be full of strangers, they were taken home, and no\ndisturbance having been known in the parlour, they were lodged there,\nwhere also their persecutor found them; but then only plucked them by\nthe hair and night clothes, without any other disturbance.\n\nIt was noted, that when the noise was loudest, no dog about the house\nwould move, though the knocking was oft so boisterous and rude, that\nit had been heard a considerable distance in the fields, and awakened\nthe neighbours in the village, none of which live very near the\nhouse. The servants sometimes were lift up with their beds, and then\nlet gently down again without hurt; at other times it would lie like\na great weight upon their feet.\n\nAbout the latter end of December 1662, the drummings were less\nfrequent; and then they heard a noise like the gingling of money,\noccasioned, as it was thought, by somewhat Mr. Mompesson\u2019s mother\nhad spoke the day before to a neighbour, who talked of fairies\nleaving money, viz. That she would like it well, if it would leave\nsome money to make amends for their trouble. The night after the\nspeaking of which, there was a great gingling of money over all\nthe house. After this, it desisted from ruder noises, and employed\nitself in little apish, and less troublesome tricks. On Christmas\neven, a little before day, one of the boys arising out of his bed,\nwas hit on a sore place on his heel, with the latch of the door; the\npin that it was fastened with, was so small that it was a difficult\nmatter to pick it out. The night after Christmas day, it threw the\nold gentlewoman\u2019s clothes about the room, and hid her bible among the\nashes. In such silly tricks it was frequent. After this it was very\ntroublesome to a servant of Mr. Mompesson\u2019s, who was a stout fellow,\nand of a sober conversation. This man lay within during the greatest\ndisturbance; and for several nights, something would endeavour to\npluck his clothes off the bed, so that he was lain to tug hard to\nkeep them on, and sometimes were plucked from him by force, and his\nshoes thrown at his head. And now and then he should find himself\nforcibly held, as if he were bound hand and foot; but whenever he\ncould make use of his sword, and struck with it, the spirit quitted\nits hold. A little after these contests, a son of Sir Thomas Bennet,\nwhose workman the drummer had sometimes been, came to the house, and\ntold Mr. Mompesson some words that he had spoken, which it seems were\nnot well taken. For when they were in bed, the drum was beat up very\nviolently and loudly; the gentleman arose, and called his man to him,\nwho lay with Mr. Mompesson\u2019s servant, just now spoken of, whose name\nwas John.\u2014\u2014When Mr. Bennet\u2019s man was gone, John heard a ruffing noise\nin his chamber, and something came to his bed side, as if it had been\none in silk. The man presently reached after his sword, which he\nfound held from him; and it was with difficulty and much tugging that\nhe got it in his power: which as soon as he had done the spirit left\nhim; and it was always observed that it still avoided a sword. About\nthe beginning of Jan. 1663, they were wont to hear a singing in the\nchimney, before it came down.\u2014\u2014One night about this time, lights were\nseen in the house. One of them came into Mr. Mompesson\u2019s chamber,\nwhich seemed blue and glimmering, and caused stiffness in the eyes\nof those who saw it. After this something was heard coming up the\nstair as it had been one without shoes. The light was seen four or\nfive times in the children\u2019s chamber; and the maids confidently\naffirm, the doors were at least ten times opened and shut in their\nsight; and when they were opened they heard a noise as if half a\ndozen had entered together. After which, some were heard to walk\nabout the room, and one ruffled as if it had been in silk. The like\nMr. Mompesson himself once heard.\u2014During the time of the knocking,\nwhen many were present, a gentleman of the company said, \u201cSatan, if\nthe drummer set thee to work, give three knocks and no more;\u201d which\nit did very distinctly, and stopt. Then the gentleman knocked, to\nsee if it would answer him, as it was wont, but it did not. For\nfurther trial, he bid it, for confirmation, \u201cIf it were the drummer,\nto give five knocks and no more that night;\u201d which it did, and left\nthe house quiet all that night. This was done in the presence of Sir\nThomas, Chamberlain of Oxfordshire, and divers others.\u2014\u2014On Saturday\nmorning an hour before day, January 10, a drum was heard beat upon\nthe out sides of Mr. Mompesson\u2019s chamber, from whence it went to the\nother end of the house, where some gentlemen strangers lay, playing\nat their door, and without, four or five several tunes, and so went\noff into the air.\u2014\u2014The next night, a smith in the village lying with\nJohn the man, they heard a noise in the room as if one had been\nshoeing of an horse; and somewhat came, as it were with a pair of\npinchers, snipping at the smith\u2019s nose most part of the night.\u2014One\nmorning, Mr. Mompesson rising early to go a journey, heard a great\nnoise below, where the children lay; and, running down with a pistol\nin his hand, he heard a voice crying, A witch, a witch, as they had\nalso heard it once before; at his entrance all was quiet.\u2014Having one\nnight played some little tricks at Mr. Mompesson\u2019s bed-foot, it went\ninto another bed where one of his daughters lay; there it passed from\nside to side, lifting her up as it passed under. At that time, there\nwere three kinds of noises in the bed. They endeavoured to thrust at\nit with a sword, but it still shifted, and carefully avoided the\nthrust, still getting under the child when they offered at it. The\nnight after, it came panting like a dog out of breath; upon which\none took a bed-staff to knock, which was caught out of her hand and\nthrown away: and company coming up, the room was presently filled\nwith a bloomy noisome smell, and was very hot, though without fire,\nin a very sharp severe winter night. It continued in the bed panting\nand scratching an hour and a half, and then went into the next\nchamber, where it knocked a little, and seemed to rattle a chain.\nThis it did for two or three nights together.\n\nAfter all this, the old gentlewoman\u2019s bible was found in the ashes,\nthe paper side being downwards. Mr. Mompesson took it up, and\nobserved that it lay open at the third chapter of Mark, where there\nis mention of unclean spirits falling down before our Saviour, and\nof his giving power to the twelve to cast out devils, and of the\nscribes opinion that he cast them out through Beelzebub. The next\nnight they strewed ashes over the chamber to see what impressions it\nwould leave. In the morning they found in one place the resemblance\nof a great claw, in another of a lesser, some letters in another,\nwhich they could make nothing of, besides many circles in the\nashes.\u2014About this time (says my author,) I went to the house, on\npurpose to inquire the truth of those passages of which there was\nso loud a report. It had ceased from its drumming and ruder noises\nbefore I came hither: but most of the more remarkable circumstances\nbefore related were confirmed to me by several of the neighbours\ntogether, who had been present at them. At this time it used to\nhaunt the children as soon as they were laid. They went to bed that\nnight I was there about eight o\u2019clock, when a maid servant coming\ndown, told us it was come. The neighbours that were there, and two\nministers, who had seen and heard it divers times, went away: but\nMr. Mompesson and I, and a gentleman that came with me, went up; I\nheard a scratching, which was very strange, as I went up the stairs;\nand when we came into the room, I perceived it was just behind the\nbolster of the childrens\u2019 bed, and seemed to be against the tyking.\nIt was as loud a scratching as one with long nails could make upon a\nbolster. There were two little modest girls in the bed, between seven\nand eleven years of age, as I guessed; I saw their hands without\nthe clothes, so that they could not contribute to the noise that\nwas behind their heads; they had been used to it, and had always\nsomebody or other in the chamber with them; and therefore seemed not\nto be much affrighted; I, standing at the bed\u2019s head, thrust my hand\nbehind the bolster, directing it to the place whence the noise seemed\nto come; whereupon the noise ceased there, and was heard in another\npart of the bed; but when I had taken out my hand, it returned and\nwas heard in the same place as before. I had been told that it would\nimitate noises, and made trial, by scratching several times upon\nthe sheets, as five, seven, and ten, which it followed, and still\nstopt at any number. I searched under and behind the bed, turned up\nthe clothes to the bed cords, grasped the bolster, sounded the wall\nbehind, and made all search that I possibly could, to find if there\nwere any trick, contrivance, or common cause of it; the like did my\nfriend, but we could discover nothing. So that I was then verily\npersuaded, and am so still, that the noise was made by some d\u00e6mon\nor spirit. After we had searched about half an hour or more, it went\ninto the midst of the bed, under the children, and there seemed to\npant like a dog out of breath very loudly: I put my hand upon the\nplace, and felt the bed bearing up against it, as if something within\nhad thrust it up; I grasped the feathers to feel if any living thing\nwere in them; I looked under, and every where about, to see if there\nwere any dog or cat, or any other creature in the room, and so we\nall did, but found nothing. The motion it caused by this panting\nwas so strong, that it shook the room and windows very sensibly; it\ncontinued this more than half an hour, while my friend and I staid\nin the room, and as long after, as we were told. During the panting,\nI chanced to see, as it were something (which I thought was a rat or\na mouse) moving in a linen bag that hung up against another bed that\nwas in the room; I stept and caught it up by the upper end with one\nhand, with which I held it, and drew it quite through the other, but\nfound nothing at all in it. There was nobody near to shake the bag,\nor if there had, no one could have made such motion, which seemed\nto be from within, as if some living creature had moved in it. My\nfriend and I lay in the chamber where the first and chief disturbance\nhad been; we all slept well all night, but early before day in the\nmorning I was awakened (and I awakened my bedfellow) by a great\nknocking just without our chamber door; I asked who was there several\ntimes, but the knocking still continued without answer. At last I\nsaid, \u201cIn the name of God, who is it, and what would you have?\u201d to\nwhich a voice answered, \u201cNothing with you.\u201d We thinking it had been\nsome servant of the house, went to sleep again; but speaking of it\nto Mr. Mompesson, when we came down, he assured us, \u201cThat no one of\nthe house lay that way, or had business thereabout, and that his\nservants were not up till he called them, which was after it was\nday.\u201d Which they confirmed and protested, that the noise was not made\nby them. Mr. Mompesson had told us before, \u201cThat it would be gone in\nthe middle of the night, and come again divers times early in the\nmorning about four o\u2019clock;\u201d and this I suppose was about that same\ntime. There came one morning a light into the children\u2019s chamber,\nand a voice crying \u201cA witch, a witch,\u201d for at least an hundred times\ntogether. Mr. Mompesson at another time (being in the day) seeing\nsome wood move there, as of itself, discharged a pistol into it,\nafter which they found several drops of blood on the hearth, and\nin divers places of the stair: for two or three nights after the\ndischarge of the pistol, there was a calm in the house; but then it\ncame again, applying itself to a little child, newly taken from the\nnurse, which it so persecuted, that it would not let the poor infant\nrest for two nights together, nor suffer a candle in the room, but\ncarry them away lighted up through the chimney, or cast them under\nthe bed. It so scared this child by leaping upon it, that for some\nhours it could not be recovered out of the fright; so that they were\nforced again to put the children out of the house. The next night\nafter, something about midnight came up the stairs, and knocked at\nMr. Mompesson\u2019s door, but he lying still, it went up another pair\nof stairs to his man\u2019s chamber, to whom it appeared standing at his\nbed foot. The exact shape and proportion he could not discover; but\nhe saith \u201cHe saw a great body, with two red glowring or glaring\neyes, which for some time were fixed steadily upon him, and at length\ndisappeared.\u201d Another night, strangers being present, it purred in\nthe children\u2019s bed like a cat; at which time the clothes and children\nwere lifted up from the bed, and six men could not keep them down.\nHereupon they removed the children, intending to have ripped the\nbed; they were no sooner laid in another, but the second bed was\nmore troubled than the first; it continued thus four hours, and beat\nthe children\u2019s legs against the bed-posts, that they were forced to\nrise and sit up all night; after this it would empty chamber-pots\ninto their beds, and strew them with ashes from the hearth, though\nthey were never so carefully watched. It put a long picked iron in\nMr. Mompesson\u2019s bed, and into his mother\u2019s a naked knife upright. It\nwould fill porrengers with ashes, throw every thing about the room,\nand make a noise all day.\n\nAbout the beginning of April 1663, a gentleman that lay in the house,\nhad all his money turned black in his pocket. And Mr. Mompesson\ncoming one morning into his stable, found his horse he was wont to\nride on, lying on the ground, having one of his hinder legs in his\nmouth, and so fastened, that it was difficult for several men to get\nit out with a lever. After this there were some other remarkable\nthings, but my account goes no farther; only Mr. Mompesson wrote me\nword, \u201cThat afterwards the house was several nights beset with seven\nor eight, in the shape of men, who, as soon as a gun was discharged,\nwould shuffle away together into an arbour.\u201d\n\nThe drummer was tried at the assize at Salisbury upon this occasion;\nhe was committed first to Gloucester gaol for stealing; and a\nWiltshire man coming to see him, he asked, What news in Wiltshire?\nThe man answered, \u201cHe knew of none.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d saith the drummer, \u201cdid\nyou not hear of the drumming at a gentleman\u2019s house at Tedworth?\u201d\n\u201cThat I do enough,\u201d said the other. \u201cAy,\u201d quoth the drummer, \u201cI\nhave plagued him, and he shall never be quiet till he hath made me\nsatisfaction for taking away my drum.\u201d Upon information of this,\nthe fellow was tried for a warlock at Sarum, and all the main\ncircumstances which I have related were sworn at the assizes by the\nminister of the parish, and divers others of the most intelligent and\nsubstantial inhabitants, who had been eye and ear witnesses of them,\ntime after time, for divers years together.\u2014The fellow was condemned\nfor transportation, and accordingly sent away; but I know not how\n(it is said by raising storms, and affrighting the seamen) he made\na shift to come back again. And it _is_ observable, That during all\nthe time of his restraint and absence, the house was quiet; but as\nsoon as ever he came back at liberty, the disturbance returned.\u2014He\nhad been a soldier under Cromwell, and used to talk much of gallant\nbooks, which he had of an odd fellow who was counted a wizzard. Upon\nthis occasion I shall here add a passage, which I had (saith my\nauthor) from Mr. Mompesson, but yet relates to the main purpose.\n\nThe gentleman who was with me at the house, Mr. Hill, being in\ncompany with one Compton of Somersetshire, practised physic, and\npretends to strange matters, related to him this story of Mr.\nMompesson\u2019s disturbance. The physician told him, \u201cHe was sure it was\nnothing but a rendezvous of witches, and that for an hundred pounds,\nhe would undertake to rid the house of all disturbance.\u201d In pursuit\nof this discourse he talked of many things; and having drawn my\nfriend into another room apart from the company, said, \u201cHe could make\nhim sensible he could do something more than ordinary,\u201d and asked\nhim whom he desired to see? Mr. Hill had no great confidence in his\ntalk, whose wife was then many miles distant from them at her home.\nUpon this Compton took up a looking-glass that was in the room, and\nsetting it down again, bid my friend look into it, which he did, and\nthere, as he most solemnly and seriously protested, he saw the exact\nimage of his wife, in that habit which she then wore, and working at\nher needle in such a part of the room (there represented also) in\nwhich, or about which time she really was, as he found upon enquiry\nwhen he came to his own house.\u2014The gentleman averred this to me,\nand he is a very sober, intelligent, and creditable person. Compton\nhad no knowledge of him before, and was an utter stranger to the\nperson of his wife. Thus I have written the sum of Mr. Mompesson\u2019s\ndisturbances, which (saith my author) I had partly from his own mouth\nrelated before divers, who had been witnesses of all, and confirmed\nhis relation, and partly from his own letters, from which the order\nand series of things is taken. The same particulars he wrote also to\nDr. Creed, then Doctor of the chair in Oxford.\n\n\n\n\nXI.\u2014_The Devil of Glenluce, enlarged with several remarkable\nadditions from an eye and ear witness, a person of undoubted\nhonesty._\n\n\nThis is that famous and notable story of the devil of Glenluce, which\nI published in my Hydrostatics, anno 1672, and which since have been\ntranscribed word for word, by a learned pen, and published in a late\nbook intitled, Saducismus Triumphatus, whom nothing but the truth\nthereof, and usefulness for refuting Atheism, could have persuaded\nme to transcribe. The subject-matter, then, of this story, is a true\nand short account of the troubles wherewith the family of one Gilbert\nCampbell, by profession a weaver, in the old parish of Glenluce in\nGalloway, was exercised. I have adventured to publish it _de novo_,\nin this book, first, because it was huddled up among purposes of\nanother nature: but now I have reduced it to its own proper place.\nNext, because this story is more full, being enlarged with new\nadditions, which were not in the former, and ends not so abruptly as\nthe other did.\u2014It happened, says my informer, Gilbert Campbell\u2019s son,\nwho was then a student of philosophy in the college of Glasgow, that\nafter one Alexander Agnew, a bold and sturdy beggar, who afterwards\nwas hanged at Dumfries for blasphemy, had threatened hurt to the\nfamily, because he had not gotten such an alms as he required. The\nsaid Gilbert Campbell was often hindered in the exercise of his\ncalling, and yet could not know by what means that was done. This\nAgnew, amongst many blasphemous expressions, had this one when he\nwas interrogate by the judges, Whether or not he thought there was\na God? He answered \u201cHe knew no God but salt, meal, and water.\u201d When\nthe stirs began, there was a whistling heard both within and without\nthe house. And Janet Campbell going one day to the well, to bring\nhome some water, was convoyed with a shrill whistling about her\nears, which made her say, \u201cI would fain hear thee speak as well as\nwhistle.\u201d Hereupon he said, after a threatening manner, \u201cI\u2019ll cast\nthee, Janet, into the well.\u201d The voice was most exactly like the\ndamsel\u2019s voice, and did resemble it to the life. The gentlewoman that\nheard this, and was a witness, thought the voice was very near to\nher own ears, and said, \u201cThe whistling was such as children used to\nmake with their small slender glass whistles.\u201d\u2014\u2014About the middle of\nNovember, the foul fiend came on with new and extraordinary assaults,\nby throwing of stones in at the doors and windows, and down the\nchimney-head, which were of great quantity, and thrown with force;\nyet, by God\u2019s providence, there was not one person in the family\nthat was hurt. This did necessitate Gilbert Campbell to reveal that\nto the minister of the parish, and to other neighbours and friends,\nwhich hitherto he had suffered secretly. Notwithstanding of this\nhis trouble was enlarged; for not long after, he found oftentimes\nhis warp and threads cut, as with a pair of scissars; and not only\nso, but their apparel were cut after the same manner, even while\nthey were wearing them, their coats, bonnets, hose, shoes, but\ncould not discern how, or by what means. Only it pleased God to\npreserve their persons, that the least harm was not done. Yet in\nthe night-time, they had not liberty to sleep, something coming and\npulling their bed-clothes, and linens off them, and leaving their\nbodies naked. Next, their chests and trunks were opened, and all\nthings in them strawed here and there. Likewise the parts of their\nworking instruments which had escaped, were carried away, and hid\nin holes and bores of the house, where hardly any could be found,\nagain. Nay, whatever piece of cloth or household stuff was in any\npart of the house, it was carried away; and so cut and abused, that\nthe good man was necessitate, in all haste and speed, to remove, and\ntransport the rest to a neighbour\u2019s house, and he himself compelled\nto quit the exercise of his calling, whereby he only maintained his\nfamily. Yet he resolved to remain in his house for a season; during\nwhich time, some persons about, not very judicious, counselled him\nto send his children out of the family, here and there, to try whom\nthe trouble did most follow, assuring him that his trouble was not\nagainst the whole family, but against some person or other in it,\nwhom he too willingly obeyed. Yet, for the space of four or five\ndays, there were no remarkable assaults as before. The minister\nhearing thereof, shewed him the evil of such a course; and assured\nhim, that if he repented not, and called back his children, he might\nnot expect that his trouble would end in a right way. The children\nthat were nigh by, being brought home, no trouble followed, till\none of his sons called Thomas, that was farest off, came home. Then\ndid the devil begin afresh; for upon the Lord\u2019s day following, in\nthe afternoon, the house was set on fire, but by the help of some\nneighbours going home from sermon, the fire was put out, and the\nhouse saved, not much loss being done.\u2014\u2014Monday after being spent in\nprivate prayer and fasting, the house was again set on fire upon\nthe Tuesday, about nine o\u2019clock in the morning; yet, by the speedy\nhelp of the neighbours, it was saved, little skaith being done.\u2014The\nweaver being thus vexed and wearied both day and night, went to the\nminister of the parish, an honest and godly man, desiring him to let\nhis son Thomas abide with him for a time, who condescended, but withal\nassuring him, that he would find himself deceived; and so it came to\npass, for notwithstanding that the lad was without the family, yet\nwere they that remained in it sore troubled, both in the day-time and\nnight-season, so that they were forced to wake till midnight, and\nsometimes all the night over, during which time the persons within\nthe family suffered many losses, as the cutting off their clothes,\nthrowing of peats, the pulling down of turf and feal from the roof\nand walls of the house, stealing of their clothes, and the pricking\nof their flesh and skin with pins.\u2014Some ministers about having\nconvened at the place for a solemn humiliation, persuaded Gilbert\nCampbell to call back his son Thomas, notwithstanding of whatever\nhazard might follow: The boy returning home, affirmed, that he heard\na voice speak to him, forbidding him to enter within the house, or\nin any other place where his father\u2019s calling was exercised; yet he\nentered, but was sore abused, till he was forced to return to the\nminister\u2019s house again. Upon Monday the 12th of February, the rest of\nthe family began to hear a voice speak to them, but could not well\nknow from whence it came; yet from evening till midnight, too much\nvain discourse was kept up with Satan: and many idle and impertinent\nquestions proposed, without that due fear of God that should have\nbeen upon their spirits under so rare and extraordinary a trial; they\ncame at length in familiar discourse with the foul thief, that they\nwere no more afraid to keep up the clash with him, than to speak\nto one another. In this they pleased him well, for he desired no\nbetter than to have sacrifices offered to him. The minister hearing\nof this, went to the house upon the Tuesday, being accompanied with\nsome gentlemen, one James Bailie of Carphin, Alexander Bailie of\nDunragged, Mr. Robert Hay, and a gentlewoman called Mrs. Douglas,\nwhom the minister\u2019s wife did accompany. At their first coming in, the\ndevil says \u201cQuam Literarum is good Latin;\u201d these are the first words\nof the Latin Rudiments, which scholars are taught when they go to\nthe grammar-school; he cries again, \u201ca dog.\u201d The minister thinking\nhe had spoken it to him, said, he took it not ill to be reviled by\nSatan, since his master had trodden that path before him. Answered\nSatan, \u201cIt was not you, Sir, I spoke to, I meant the dog there;\u201d for\nthere was a dog standing behind backs. This passing, they all went\nto prayer; which being ended, they heard a voice speaking out of\nthe ground from under the bed, in the proper country dialect, which\nhe did counterfeit exactly, saying, \u201cWould you know the witches of\nGlenluce? I will tell you them;\u201d and so related four or five persons\u2019\nnames that went under a bad report; the weaver informed the company,\nthat one of them was dead long ago. The devil answered and said, \u201cIt\nis true she is dead long ago, but her spirit is living with us in the\nworld.\u201d The minister replied, saying, (though it was not convenient\nto speak to such an excommunicate and inter-communed person,) \u201cThe\nLord rebuke thee, Satan, and put thee to silence; we are not to\nreceive information from thee, whatsoever fame any person goes under;\nthou art seeking but to seduce this family, for Satan\u2019s kingdom\nis not divided against itself.\u201d After which all went to prayer\nagain, which being ended, for during the time of prayer no noise or\ntrouble was made, except once that a loud fearful yell was heard at\na distance; the devil threatening and terrifying the lad Tom, who\nhad come back that day with the minister, \u201cThat if he did not depart\nout of the house, he would set all on fire.\u201d Says the minister, \u201cThe\nLord will preserve the house and the lad too, seeing he is one of the\nfamily, and had God\u2019s warrant to tarry in it.\u201d The fiend answered,\n\u201cHe shall not get liberty to tarry; he was once put out already,\nand shall not abide here, though I should pursue him to the end of\nthe world.\u201d The minister replied, \u201cThe Lord will stop thy malice\nagainst him.\u201d And then they all went to prayer again; which being\nended, the devil said, \u201cGive me a spade and a shovel, and depart from\nthe house for seven days, and I will make a grave, and lie down in\nit, and shall trouble you no more.\u201d The goodman answered, \u201cNot so\nmuch as a straw shall be given thee, through God\u2019s assistance, even\nthough that would do it.\u201d The minister also added, \u201cGod shall remove\nthee in due time.\u201d The spirit answered, \u201cI will not remove for you;\nI have my commission from Christ to tarry and vex this family.\u201d The\nminister answered. \u201cA permission thou hast indeed, but God will stop\nit in due time.\u201d The devil replied, \u201cI have, Sir, a commission which\nperhaps will last longer than your own.\u201d The minister died in the\nyear 1655, in December. The devil had told them, \u201cThat he had given\nhis commission to Tom to keep.\u201d The company inquired at the lad, who\nsaid, \u201cThere was something put into his pocket, but it did not tarry.\u201d\n\nAfter this, the minister and the gentlemen arose and went to the\nplace whence the voice seemed to come, to try if they could see or\nfind any thing. After diligent search, nothing being found, the\ngentlemen began to say, \u201cWe think this voice speaks out of the\nchildren, for some of them were in their beds.\u201d The spirit answered,\n\u201cYou lie, God shall judge you for your lying, and I and my father\nwill come and fetch you to hell with warlock thieves;\u201d and so the\ndevil discharged the gentlemen to speak any thing, saying, \u201cLet him\nspeak that hath a commission, (meaning the minister) for he is the\nservant of God.\u201d The gentlemen returning back with the minister, sat\ndown near the place where the voice seemed to come; and he opening\nhis mouth, spake to them after this manner, \u201cThe Lord will rebuke\nthis spirit in his own time, and cast him out.\u201d The devil answering,\nsaid, \u201cIt is written in Mark, chap. ix. that the disciples could\nnot cast him out.\u201d The minister replied, \u201cWhat the disciples could\nnot do, yet the Lord having heightened the parent\u2019s faith, for\nhis own glory, did cast him out, and so shall he thee.\u201d The devil\nreplied, \u201cIt is written in Luke, chap. iv. that he departed and left\nhim for a season.\u201d The minister said, \u201cThe Lord in the days of his\nhumiliation, not only got the victory over Satan in that assault in\nthe wilderness, but when he came again, his success was no better:\nfor it is written, John xiv. Behold, the prince of this world cometh\nand hath nothing in me, and being now in glory, he will fulfill his\npromise,\u2014and God shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly,\u201d Rom.\nxvi. The devil answered, \u201cIt is written, Math. xxv. There were ten\nvirgins, five wise and five foolish, and when the bridegroom came,\nthe foolish virgins had no oil in their lamps, and went to the wise\nto seek oil; and the wise said, go and buy for yourselves; and while\nthey went the bridegroom came, and entered in, and the door was shut,\nand the foolish virgins were sent to hell\u2019s fire.\u201d The minister\nanswered, \u201cThe Lord knows the sincerity of his servants, and though\nthere be sin and folly in us here, yet there is a fountain opened to\nthe house of David for sin and uncleanness; when he hath washen us\nfrom our sins for his name\u2019s sake, he will cast the unclean spirit\nout of the land.\u201d The devil answered and said, \u201cSir, you should have\ncited for that place of scripture, Zech. xiii. and he began at the\nfirst verse, and repeated several verses, and concluded with these\nwords: \u201cIn that day I will cause the prophet and unclean spirit pass\nout of the land;\u201d but afterwards it is written, \u201cI will smite the\nshepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.\u201d The minister answered\nand said, \u201cWe know that our blessed shepherd was smitten, and thereby\nhath bruised thy head. And albeit in the hour of his sufferings, his\ndisciples forsook him, Matth. xxvi. Yet now having ascended on high,\nhe sits in glory, and is preserving, gathering in, and turning his\nhand upon his little ones, and will save his poor ones in this family\nfrom thy malice.\u201d The minister returning back a little, and standing\nupon the floor, the devil said, \u201cI knew not these scriptures till\nmy father taught me them.\u201d Then the minister conjured him to tell\nwhence he was. The foul fiend replied, \u201cThat he was an evil spirit\ncome from the bottomless pit of hell to vex this house, and that\nSatan was his father.\u201d And presently there appeared a naked hand, and\nan arm from the elbow down, beating upon the floor till the house\ndid shake again, and also he uttered a most fearful and loud cry,\nsaying, \u201cCome up, my father, come up; I will send my father among\nyou; see there he is behind your backs.\u201d Then the minister said, \u201cI\nsaw indeed a hand, and an arm, when the stroke was given and heard.\u201d\nThe devil said to him, \u201cSaw you that? it was not my hand, it was\nmy father\u2019s; my hand is more black in the loof.\u201d \u201cO (said Gilbert\nCampbell) that I may see thee as well as I hear thee!\u201d \u201cWould you see\nme (says the foul thief) put out the candle, and I shall come butt\nthe house among you like fireballs. I shall let you see me indeed.\u201d\nAlexander Bailie of Dunragged says to the minister, Let us go then,\nand see if there be any hand to be seen. The devil answered, \u201cNo, let\nhim come then alone; he is a good honest man, his single word may be\nbelieved.\u201d About this time the devil abused Mr. Robert Hay, a very\nhonest gentleman, very ill with his tongue, calling him witch and\nwarlock. A little after, the devil cries (it seems out of purpose and\nin of purpose) \u201cA witch, a witch, there is a witch sitting upon the\nruist, take her away;\u201d he meant a hen sitting upon the balk of the\nhouse.\u2014These things being past, all went to prayer, during which time\nhe was silent; prayer being ended, the devil answered and said, \u201cIf\nthe goodman\u2019s son\u2019s prayers at the College of Glasgow did not prevail\nwith God, my father and I had wrought a mischief here ere now.\u201d To\nwhich Alexander Bailie of Dunragged replied, \u201cWell, well, I see\nyou confess there is a God, and that prayer prevails with him; and\ntherefore we must pray to God, and commit the event to him.\u201d To whom\nthe devil replied, \u201cYea, Sir, you speak of prayer with your broad\nlipped hat, (for the gentleman had lately gotten a hat in the fashion\nwith broad lips) I\u2019ll bring a pair of sheers from my father which\nwill clip the lips of it a little.\u201d Whereupon he presently imagined\nthat he heard and felt a pair of sheers going round about his hat,\nwhich caused him lift it to see if the foul thief had meddled with it.\n\nDuring this time, several things, but of less moment, passed; as\nthat he would have Tom a merchant, Rob a smith, John a minister, and\nHugh a lawyer, all which in some measure came to pass. As to Janet\nthe goodman\u2019s daughter, he cries to her, \u201cJanet Campbell, Janet\nCampbell, wilt thou cast me thy belt?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWhat a widdy wilt\nthou do with my belt?\u201d \u201cI would fain (says he) fasten my loose bones\nclose together with it.\u201d A younger daughter sitting busking her\npoppies, as young girls use to do, being threatened by the fiend,\nthat he would ding out her harns, that is brain her, She answered,\nwithout being concerned, \u201cNo, if God be to the fore;\u201d and so fell to\nthe work again. The goodwife of the house having brought out some\nbread, was breaking it to give every one of the company a piece. He\ncries, \u201cGrisel Wyllie, Grisel Wyllie, give me a piece of that hard\nbread, (for so they call their oat-cakes) I have gotten nothing this\nday, but a bit from Marrit;\u201d that is, as they spake in that country,\nMargaret. The minister said, \u201cBeware of that; for it is a sacrificing\nto the devil.\u201d The girl was called for, and asked, if she gave him\nany hard bread? \u201cNo,\u201d says she; \u201cbut when I was eating my due-piece\nthis morning, something came and clicked it out of my hand.\u201d\n\nThe evening being now far spent, it was thought fit, that every\none should withdraw to his own home. Then did the devil cry out\nfearfully, \u201cLet not the minister go home, I shall burn the house if\nhe go;\u201d and many other ways did he threaten. After the minister had\ngone forth, Gilbert Campbell was very instant with him to tarry,\nwhereupon he returned, all the rest going home. When he came into the\nhouse, the devil gave a great gaff of laughter. \u201cYou have now, Sir,\ndone my bidding.\u201d \u201cNot thine,\u201d answered the other, \u201cbut in obedience\nto God have I returned, to bear this man company, whom thou dost\nafflict.\u201d Then did the minister call upon God. And when the prayer\nwas ended, he discharged the weaver, and all the persons of the\nfamily, to speak a word to the devil; and when he spake, that they\nshould only kneel down and pray to God. The devil then roared out\nmightily, and cried out, \u201cWhat, will ye not speak to me? I shall\nstrike the bairns, and do all manner of mischief.\u201d But after that\ntime no answer was made to him, and so for a long time no speech was\nheard. Several times he hath beat the children in their beds, and\nthe claps of his loof upon their buttocks would have been heard, but\nwithout any trouble to them. While the minister and gentlemen were\nstanding at the door, ready to go home, the minister\u2019s wife and the\ngoodwife were within; then cried Satan, \u201cGrisel, put out the candle.\u201d\nSays she to the minister\u2019s wife, \u201cShall I do it?\u201d \u201cNo; (says the\nother,) for then you shall obey the devil.\u201d Upon this he cries again\nwith a louder shout, \u201cPut out the candle.\u201d The candle still burns.\nThe third time he cries, \u201cPut out the candle;\u201d and no obedience being\ngiven to him, he did so often reiterate these words, and magnify his\nvoice, that it was astonishing to hear him, which made them stop\ntheir ears: they thinking the sound was just at their ears; at last\nthe candle was put out. \u201cNow, (says he) I\u2019ll trouble you no more this\nnight.\u201d I must here insert what I heard from one of the ministers of\nthe presbytery, who, with the rest, were appointed to meet at the\nweaver\u2019s house for prayer and other exercises of that kind. When the\nday came, five only met; but before they went in, they stood a while\nin the croft which lies round about the house, considering what to\ndo. They resolved upon two things, First, There should be no words\nof conjuration used, as commanding him in the name of God to tell\nwhence he was, or to depart from the family; for which they thought\nthey had no call from God. Secondly, That when the devil spoke, none\nshould answer him, but hold on in their worshipping of God, and the\nduties they were called to. When all of them had prayed by turns,\nand three of them had spoken a word or two from the Scripture, they\nprayed again, and then ended without any disturbance. When that\nbrother who informed me had gone out, one Hugh Nisbet, one of the\ncompany, came running after him, desiring him to come back, for he\nhad begun to whistle. \u201cNo, (says the other) I tarried as long as\nGod called me; but go in again, I will not.\u201d After this the said\nGilbert suffered much loss, and had many sad nights, not two nights\nin one week free, and thus it continued till April. From April to\nJuly he had some respite and ease; but after he was molested with\nnew assaults; even their victuals were so abused, that the family\nwas in hazard of starving; and that which they ate gave them not the\nordinary satisfaction they were wont to find.\n\nIn this sore and sad affliction, Gilbert Campbell resolved to make\nhis address to the synod of Presbyters, for advice and counsel\nwhat to do, which was appointed to convene in Oct. 1655, namely\nWhether to forsake the house or not? The synod, by their committee,\nappointed to meet to Glenluce in Feb. 1656, thought it fit that a\nsolemn humiliation should be kept through all the bounds of the\nsynod; and, amongst other causes, to request God on behalf of that\nafflicted family; which being done carefully, the event was, that\nhis trouble grew less till April, and from April to August he was\naltogether free. About which time the devil began with new assaults;\nand taking the ready meat which was in the house, did sometimes hide\nit in holes by the door-posts, and at other times hid it under the\nbeds, and sometimes among the bed-clothes, and under the lines, and\nat last did carry it quite away, till nothing was left there save\nbread and water.\u2014This minds me of a small pasage as a proof of what\nis said.\u2014The goodwife one morning making pottage for the children\u2019s\nbreakfast, had the tree-plate, wherein the meal lay, snatched from\nher quickly. \u201cWell (says she) let me have my plate again.\u201d Whereupon\nit came flying at her, without any skaith done. It is like, if she\nhad sought the meal too, she might have got it: Such is his civility\nwhen he is entreated, a small homage will please him ere he want all.\nAfter this he exercised his malice and cruelty against all persons\nin the family, in wearying them in the night-time, by stirring and\nmoving through the house; so that they had no rest for noise, which\ncontinued all the month of August after this manner. After which\ntime the devil grew yet worse, by roaring and terrifying them, by\ncasting of stones, by striking them with staves on their bed in the\nnight-time. And (September 18,) about midnight, he cried out with a\nloud voice, \u201cI will burn the house.\u201d And about three or four nights\nafter, he set one of the beds on fire, which was soon put out,\nwithout any prejudice, except the bed itself.\u2014\u2014Thus I have written a\nshort and true account of all the material passages which occurred.\nTo write every particular, especially of lesser moment, would fill a\nlarge volume. The goodman lived several years after this in the same\nhouse; and it seems, by some conjuration or other, the devil suffered\nhimself to be put away, and gave the weaver a peaceable habitation.\nThis weaver has been a very old man, that endured so long these\nmarvellous disturbances.\n\n\n\n\nXII.\u2014_Anent Mother Jackson her Witchcraft._\n\n\nThis story hath as much certainty with it as any human story can\nhave. The author that writes it is a famous minister of the gospel,\nand it is attested by famous witnesses. This woman was arraigned and\ncondemned at Newgate, for bewitching one Mary Glover, a merchant\u2019s\ndaughter in Thames Street. One Dr. Boncraft did inform Judge\nAnderson, then lord chief justice, That the said Mother Jackson was\nwronged; and that the maid did counterfeit; whereupon the lord chief\njustice gave orders to Sir John Crook, then recorder of London, to\nmake trial of them in his chamber at the Temple. The maid being sent\nfor, came with her mother and divers of the neighbours; and about\nan hour after the witch was sent for, and was brought in disguised\nlike a country-market woman, with a mufflet hiding her face, and an\nold hat, and a short cloak spattered with mire. When she entered\nthe chamber, the maid suddenly fell down backward upon the floor,\nwith her eyes drawn into her head, her tongue towards her throat,\nher mouth drawn up to her ear, her body be came stiff and senseless.\nHer lips being shut close, a plain and audible voice came out of her\nnostrils, saying, \u201cHang her, hang her.\u201d Then did the recorder cry for\na candle, and a sheet of paper, and held the paper flaming to her\nhand, till her hand did blister; the blister did break, and water\ncame out which dropt down upon the floor, the maid lying still and\nsenseless as a dead body, with the voice coming out of her nostrils,\nsaying, \u201cHang her, hang her.\u201d Then the recorder called for a long\npin, which he held in the flame of the candle till it was very hot,\nand thrust the head of it into her nostrils, to see if that would\nmake her sneeze, wink, or bend her brows, or stir her head, which she\ndid not, but lay still as one dead and senseless. Then I told the\nrecorder (said my author), that I had often prayed with the maid, and\nthat when I did conclude with the Lord\u2019s prayer, the maid, as soon\nas I said, \u201cbut deliver us from evil,\u201d was tost up and shaken, as if\na mastiff dog should take a little cur into his mouth and shake him.\nThen the recorder bade the witch say the Lord\u2019s prayer, which she\ndid, till she came to these words, \u201cbut deliver us from evil,\u201d which\nshe skipt over, and would by no means be brought to say them. Then\nthey bade her rehearse the articles of the Christian faith, which she\ndid till she came to these words, \u201cour Lord,\u201d that Jesus Christ was\nour Lord. I told the recorder also, that when the maid was in her\nsenseless and dead fits, if the witch did but lay her hand upon her,\nshe was tost and thrown towards her. Thereupon the recorder caused\nthe maid to be taken up and laid upon a bed, and clothes to be laid\nupon her, especially her head, because she should not see nor hear.\nThen he made signs to the women to stand round about the bed, and\nthat the witch should stand among them, and that every one should lay\nhands upon her softly, which they did; and the maid did not stir till\nthe witch laid her hand upon her, then all the clothes were thrown\noff and the maid tost towards her. Whereupon the recorder, looking\nupon the witch, said, \u201cLord have mercy upon thee, woman!\u201d and sent\nher to Newgate. Then as soon as she was gone, the voice that came\nout of the maid\u2019s nostrils ceased, and she came to herself; and went\nhome with her mother. About three weeks or a month after the witch\nwas condemned, the maid continued every second day in most strange\nand fearful fits and torments. The recorder hearing of it, did blame\nme and all the ministers of London; and told me, That we might all be\nashamed to see a child of God in the claws of the devil, without any\nhope of deliverance, but by such means as God hath appointed, viz.\nfasting and prayer. Within few days after, it pleased God to make\nme an instrument to draw five ministers, and other good Christians\ntogether, to set apart, and to join with me in that holy exercise,\nwherein we continued from morning till after candle lighting. Then on\na sudden, after a fearful conflict, which did much amaze some, and\ncaused them to cry with a confused noise, \u201cJesus save, Jesus help,\u201d\nthe maid did start out of a wand chair, where she sat, and with her\nstrength did lift me up with her. I kneeling behind her, and holding\nher in my arms, she did throw white froth out of her throat and mouth\nround about the chamber, and on a sudden fell down into the chair\nas one truly dead, with her head hanging down into the chair, her\nneck and arms limber and souple, which before were stiff as a frozen\nthing; then suddenly life came into her whole body, and her eyes,\nwhich were drawn into her head, and her tongue, which was pulled into\nher throat, came into their right place. Then she looked up with a\ncheerful countenance round about the chamber, and with a loud voice\nspake, saying, \u201cO he is come, he is come, the Comforter is come, the\nComforter is come, I am delivered.\u201d Her father hearing these words,\nwept for joy, and with a faultering voice, said, \u201cO these were her\ngrandfather\u2019s words when he was at the stake, the fire crackling\nabout him.\u201d It seems he died a martyr in Queen Mary\u2019s time. Then she\nkneeled down, and offered a sweet evening sacrifice of thanks and\npraise to God for her deliverance, till her voice grew weak. Then\ndid the minister speak to her to forbear, and let one of them end\nthe day with thanksgiving. And in regard that I (said the minister)\nhad begun the day with prayer, the company desired me to make it end\nwith thanksgiving. This being done, care was had of her to put her to\nsome minister for a year, least Satan should assault her again; and,\nby common consent, she was put to me; and I took her home to my own\nhouse for being my servant for that time, and her mother and sister,\nand lodged them at my house in great Saint Helen\u2019s, which then was\nmy living. This relation was published in the year 1642, by the\nminister, whose name is Lewis Hughes, and is yet to be seen in print.\n\n\n\n\nXIII.\u2014_King Duff, the 78th King of Scotland, bewitched._\n\n\nThough this be well known to all who read our Scots Histories, yet\nit will not be amiss to insert it here, as in its own place, for\ntheir sakes especially who have not heard of it. While the king was\nabout the settling of the country, and punishing the troublers of\nthe peace, he began to be sore afflicted in his body with a new and\nunheard of disease, no causes of his sickness appearing in the least.\nAt length, after several remedies and cures were made use of to no\npurpose, a report was spread, the authors thereof being uncertain,\nthat the king was brought to that sickness and trouble by witches.\nThe suspicion arose from an unusual sweating he was under, his body\npining and withering away by little and little, and his strength\nfailing day by day; and since all his physicians had done their\nutmost, and yet no appearance of recovery, it was supposed his case\nwas extraordinary. Therefore all men being vehemently intent upon\nthe event, news came to the court, that night-meetings were kept\nat Forres, a town in Murray, for taking away the life of the king.\nThis was presently received and believed for truth, because no other\nthing did occur for the present more probable. Whereupon trusty and\nfaithful men are presently sent away to one Donald, governor of the\ncastle there, in whom the king had the greatest trust and confidence.\nThis man having gotten some knowledge of the business from a certain\nyoung wench, whose mother was under a bad report of being skilful in\nthis black art, found out and discovered the whole matter. The young\nharlot is taken, because she had spoken some words rashly anent the\nking\u2019s sickness, and that within a few days his life would be at an\nend. Some of the guard being sent, found the lass\u2019s mother, with some\nhaggs such as herself, roasting before a small moderate fire, the\nking\u2019s picture made of wax. The design of this horrid act was, that\nas the wax by little and little did melt away, so the king\u2019s body, by\na continual sweating, might at last totally decay. The waxen image\nbeing found and broken, and those old haggs punished with death, the\nking did in that same moment recover. Compare this with the first\nrelation, and you will find them jump and agree exactly.\n\n\n\n\nXIV.\u2014_The Apparition of Edward Avon to his Son-in-law, Thomas\nGoddard._\n\n\nThomas Goddard of Marleburgh, in the county of Wilts, weaver, on the\n9th of November 1674, going to Ogburn, at a stile on the high-way,\nabout nine in the morning, met the apparition of his father-in-law,\none Edward Avon of this town, glover, having upon him, to appearance,\nthe same clothes, hat, stockings, and shoes he did usually wear when\nhe was living, standing by, and leaning over that stile; which when\nhe came near, the apparition spake to him, with an audible voice,\nthese words, \u201cAre you afraid?\u201d To which he answered, \u201cI am thinking\non one who is dead and buried, whom you are like.\u201d To which the\napparition replied with the like voice, \u201cI am he you were thinking\non; I am Edward Avon your father-in-law: come near to me, I will do\nyou no harm.\u201d To which Goddard answered, \u201cI trust in him that bought\nmy soul with his precious blood, you shall do me no harm.\u201d Then the\napparition said, \u201cHow stands cases at home?\u201d Goddard asked, \u201cWhat\ncases?\u201d Then it asked him, \u201cHow do William and Mary?\u201d Meaning, as\nhe conceived, his son William Avon, a shoemaker here, and Mary his\ndaughter, the said Goddard\u2019s wife. Then it said, \u201cWhat? Taylor is\ndead; meaning, as he thought, one Taylor of London, who married\nhis daughter Sarah; which Taylor died at Michaelmas last. Then the\napparition held out his hand, and in it, as Goddard conceived, 20s.\nor 30s. in silver, and then spake with a loud voice, \u201cTake this\nmoney, and send it to Sarah; for I shut up my bowels of compassion\ntoward her in my lifetime, and now there is somewhat for her.\u201d And\nthen said, \u201cMary (meaning the said Goddard\u2019s wife, as he conceived,)\nis troubled for me: but tell her, God hath shewed mercy contrary to\nmy deserts.\u201d But the said Goddard answered, \u201cIn the name of Jesus I\nrefuse all such money.\u201d Then the apparition said, \u201cI perceive you are\nafraid, I will meet you some other time.\u201d And immediately it went up\nthe lane to his appearance; so he went over the same stile, but saw\nit no more that day. He saith, the next night, about seven of the\nclock, it came and opened his shop windows, and stood in the like\nclothes, looking him in the face, but said nothing to him. And the\nnext night after, as Goddard went forth into his back-shop, with a\ncandle in his hand, it appeared to him again in the same shape; but\nhe being in fear ran into his house, and saw it no more then. But he\nsaith, that on Thursday the 12th instant, as he came from Chilton,\nriding down the hill between the manor-house and Axford-farm-field,\nhe saw somewhat like a hare crossing his way, at which his horse was\nfrighted, threw him into the dirt, and as soon as he could recover\non his feet, the same apparition met him there again in the same\nhabit: and there, standing about eight foot before him in the way,\nspake again to him with a loud voice, \u201cSource (a word he commonly\nused when living) you have stayed long,\u201d and said to him, \u201cThomas,\nbid William Avon take the sword he had of me, which is now in his\nhouse, and carry it into the wood, as we go to Aiton, to the upper\nend of the wood, by the way-side, for with that sword I did wrong\nthirty years ago, and he never prospered since he had that sword. And\nbid William Avon give his sister Sarah 20s. which he received of\nme; and do you talk with Edward Laurence, for I borrowed 20s. of him\nseveral years ago, and did say I had paid him, but I did not pay it\nhim; and I would desire you to pay him 20s. out of the money which\nyou had from James Elliot at two payments.\u201d Which money the said\nGoddard now saith was \u00a3.5. which James Elliot, a baker here, owed\nthe said Avon on bond; and which he, the said Goddard, had received\nfrom the said Elliot since Michaelmas, at two payments, viz. 35s.\nat one, and 3l. 5s. at another payment. And it further said to him,\n\u201cTell Margaret (meaning his own wife, as he conceived) that I would\ndesire her to deliver up the little money which I gave to little\nSarah Taylor the child, or any one she will trust for it; but if she\nwill not speak to Edward Laurence, persuade her; but if she still\nwill not, then tell her that I will see her very suddenly; and see\nthat this be done within a twelvemonth and a day after my decease,\nand peace be with you\u201d And so it went away over the rails into the\nwood there, in the like manner as any man would go over a stile,\nto his apprehension; and so he saw it no-more at that time. And he\nsaith, that he paid the 20s. to Edward Laurence of this town; who\nbeing present now, doth remember he lent the said Avon 20s. about\ntwenty years ago, which none knew but himself and his wife, and Avon\nand his wife, and was never paid it again before now by this Goddard.\nAnd this Goddard further says, that this very day, by Mr. Major\u2019s\norder, he, with his brother-in-law, William, went with this sword,\nand about nine o\u2019clock this morning, they laid down the sword in the\ncopse, near the place the apparition had appointed Goddard to carry\nit; and then coming away thence, Goddard looking back, saw the same\napparition again in the like habit as before; whereupon he called to\nhis brother-in-law, and said, \u201cHere is the apparition of our father;\u201d\nwho said, \u201cI see nothing:\u201d then Goddard fell on his knees, and said,\n\u201cLord open his eyes that he may see it, if it be thy blessed will.\u201d\nAnd the apparition, to Goddard\u2019s appearance, beckoned with his hand\nto come to it, and then Goddard said, \u201cIn the name of the Father,\nSon, and Holy Ghost, what would you have me to do?\u201d To which it\nanswered, \u201cThomas, take up the sword and follow me;\u201d and so he took\nup the sword and followed the apparition about ten poles in length\nfurther into the copse, and then turning back, he stood still about\na pole and a half from it, his brother-in-law staying behind at the\nplace where they first laid down the sword; then Goddard laying down\nthe sword upon the ground, saw something stand by the apparition like\na mastiff dog of a brown colour. Then the apparition coming towards\nGoddard, he stept back about two steps; and the apparition said to\nhim, \u201cI have a permission to you, and a commission not to touch you;\u201d\nand then it took up the sword, and went back to the place at which\nbefore it stood, with a mastiff-dog by it as before, and pointed\nthe top of the sword into the ground, and said, \u201cIn this place lies\nburied the body of him whom I murdered in the year 1635, which is\nnow rotten and turned to dust.\u201d Whereupon Goddard said, \u201cI do adjure\nyou in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, when did you\ncommit this murder?\u201d And it said, \u201cI took money from the man, and he\ncontended with me, and so I murdered him.\u201d Then Goddard asked him,\nwho was confederate with him in the said murder? and he said, \u201cNone\nbut myself was accessory thereto.\u201d Then Goddard said, \u201cWhat would\nyou have me to do in this thing?\u201d and the apparition said, \u201cThat\nis, that the world may know that I murdered a man, and buried him\nin this place, in the year 1635.\u201d Then the apparition laid down the\nsword on the bare ground there, whereon grew nothing, but seemed to\nGoddard as a grave sunk in; and the apparition running further into\nthe copse, vanished, and he saw it no more; whereupon Goddard and his\nbrother-in-law, Avon, went away together, leaving the sword there.\nAvon told Goddard he heard his voice, and understood what he said,\nand heard other words distinct from his, but could not understand a\nword of it, nor saw he any apparition at all, which he now, being\npresent, affirmeth; and all which the said Goddard then attested\nunder his hand; and affirmed he will depone to the same when he shall\nbe thereto required.\n\n\n\n\nXV.\u2014_Some Passages of God\u2019s Providence to a godly Minister, in\ngiving him full clearness concerning Bessie Graham, suspected of\nwitchcraft._\n\n\nShe was apprehended about the end of August 1649, upon some\nthreatening words she had spoken in her drunkenness to John Ranken\u2019s\nwife in Kilwinning, whereupon the poor woman, ten days after, took\nsickness and died. She was imprisoned in the steeple for thirteen\nweeks, all which time I, the minister, repaired to her, but found\nher still more and more obdured; in all her discourses she was so\nsubtle, that not only I could get no advantage by her words, but\nsometimes she made me think that she was an innocent woman; so that\nI was grieved for her hard usage, if it could have been helped, and\nhad my own secret wishes she had never been meddled with. Yea, if she\ncould have made an escape, I being innocent of it, I could have been\nglad; for I feared much, that all that we could get proven on her,\nwould not have been a sufficient ground for the civil magistrate to\ngive a warrant for putting her to an assize. Or, if they had given\na warrant, I feared the assize would not condemn her, unless I had\nadvised them thereto, wherein I was not clear, so that she would have\nbeen set at liberty, and I blamed for it by reason of my not advising\nthe assize to condemn her. At this nick of time, one Alexander Bogs,\nskilled in searching the mark, came, being often sent for, and finds\nthe mark on the middle of her back, wherein he thrust a great brass\npin, of which she was not sensible, neither did any blood follow when\nthe pin was drawn out. I looked upon this but as a small evidence\nin respect of what I found afterwards; yet this somewhat inclined\nthe judges to send the process to Edinburgh, though there were small\nhopes of obtaining a commission for putting her to an assize. My\nfears deceived me; for I was informed that a commission was granted,\nthough with difficulty: But here my strait was augmented; for the\nchiefest man in the parish refused to meet, professing he thought all\nthat was proven on her were but clatters; and I was informed that\nothers of the judges did say little less; however, I myself could not\nthink her guilty: Yet if the assize had put her to it, I was not so\nclear to advise them, by reason that the things were proven but by\none witness. This put me to many thoughts and prayers, wherein I did\nengage myself to God, that if he would find me out a way for giving\nme and the assize full clearness, either by her own confession or\notherwise, I should remark it as a singular favour, and a special\nmercy. This resolution I did often reiterate, \u201cLord make me mindful\nof it.\u201d After a short time providence brought to light an unexpected\npresumption of her guiltiness, which did convince me more than any\nof the rest. Upon Wednesday the 28th of November, in the evening,\nI went to exhort her to a confession, with Alexander Simpson the\nkirk-officer, and my own servant with me. After labouring with her\nin vain, we left her; but when I came to the stair-head, I resolved\nto halt a little, to hear what she would say. Within a very short\nspace, she begins to discourse as if it had been to somebody with\nher. Her voice was so low, that I could not understand what she said,\nexcept one sentence, whereby I perceived she was speaking of somewhat\nI had been challenging her of, and she had denied. After she had\nspoken this, after a little while, I heard another voice speaking\nand whispering, as it were conferring with her, which presently I\napprehended to be the foul fiend\u2019s voice: but being uncertain, if\nthose that were with me had heard it, so as they could give testimony\nconcerning it, and not daring to ask them, least she hearing our\nwhispering, should have spoken no more, I resolved to stand a little\nlonger, she having kept silence a time, upon occasion as I thought\nof some little din amongst us, at our hearing of an uncouth voice;\nshe began to speak again, and before she had well ended, the other\nvoice speaketh as it were a long sentence, which though I understood\nnot what it was, yet it was so low and ghostly, that I was certainly\npersuaded that it was another voice than her\u2019s. Besides, her accent\nand manner of speaking was as if she had been speaking to some other;\nand that other voice, to my best remembrance, did begin before she\nhad ended, so that two voices were to be heard at once.\u2014By this time\nfear took hold on Alexander Simpson, being hindmost in the stair,\nand thereby he cries out. I did exhort him with a loud voice not to\nfear; and we came all of us down the stair, blessing God that had\ngiven me such a clearness in the business. They both who were with me\ndeclared, they had heard the uncouth voice both the times. Within a\nquarter of an hour I went up again, with two or three able men with\nme, and brought her down to the school, having placed six men to\nwatch, where she remains at the time of my writing hereof, November\n30, obstinate and obdured, and I fear she shall be so to her death.\n\n\n\n\n_Some special Providence I observed in all these._\n\n\nFirst, That however we knew nothing at our first apprehending of her,\nbut only that she was of a bad report, and had some boasting words\nto John Rankin\u2019s wife, after which she died shortly; yet partly more\nand more light brake up, until so many presumptions were proven on\nher, as the civil magistrate did judge it equitable to put her to an\nassize. Secondly, That Alexander Bogs came and found the mark upon\nher, at the very nick of time when there was an inclination to let\nher go free, which, though it did not say much, yet it was a mean\nto keep her still in prison. Thirdly, That a commission was granted\nupon more slender grounds than any which had been granted before; and\nthat the Lord keeped up the greatest evidence of her guilt, until\nthe commission was obtained, and the day for the assize appointed.\nFourthly, That the commission being granted, I was in a great strait\nwhat to do, no less being presented to me than her blood-guiltiness,\nif I should advise to condemn her, and the sparing of an enemy to\nGod, if I should not advise; this made the mercy in giving me so full\nclearing the more acceptable. Fifthly, That God did make all other\nmeans misgive which I did use, until he should clear me by these\nwhereby more of himself was seen. Sixthly, That before he gave me\nclearing, I was made to engage myself to a special observation of his\nmost remarkable providences towards me. Seventhly, That I had often\nthoughts to use the means of trying her, by going to watch in the\nnight, if I could hear the devil and her conferring together, but was\nalways hindered until this time having no such resolution when I was\ncoming out from her, but only a present purpose to stand a little,\nnot thinking to hear any thing of this kind; and if she had not\npresently begun to speak, I would have gone away. Eighthly, That I\nmyself was present at the hearing of their conference; if it had been\nin any other, I would neither have been so fully satisfied myself,\nnor yet others who should hear of it. Ninthly, That not only I, but\ntwo with me, did hear also, which will make a legal proof. Tenthly,\nThat I was borne up with courage all the time, acting faith in God,\nthat the foul spirit should not do us harm, though he was so near\nunto us. Eleventhly, That I heard as much as did give full clearing\nthat it was another voice, though I could not get any of the words\nunderstood. The Lord thinking it sufficient to loose me out of the\nstrait, though he would not satisfy my curiosity. Twelthly, though I\ncould not get the words understood, yet there was as much evidence,\nas made it clearly appear it was another voice than hers.\n\nAs, 1st, That we heard twice. And, 2dly, Three of us did so think.\n3dly, That I was in courage, and so my judgment not jumbled by\nany fearful apprehensions. 4thly, That the accent and way of her\ndiscourse, and in what we did understand of it, was not after the\nmanner how one regrets a thing to himself, but of one conferring with\nanother. 5thly, That the other voice was to my certain hearing of a\ndifferent accent from her\u2019s, so hollow and ghostly, that it was as\neasy for me to put a difference between them in the mean time, as\nbetween the voice of a man and the voice of a child. 6thly, That to\nmy best remembrance the uncouth voice began before she ended, so that\ntwo voices were to be heard at once. Lastly, A. Simpson understood\ntheir language, and afterward did depone the words judicially.\u2014\u2014It\nis good (1) For folk to hold on in doing of duty, though they forsee\nunsuperable difficulties before they come to the end of it. Let a man\ngo on till he come to the difficulty, and ere he come that far on,\nGod will remove it. (2) \u2019Tis good in asking mercies to engage the\nheart to some duties of thankfulness, upon the granting them. (3) How\nzealous is the devil to get souls damned, that though he be of an\nexcellent substance, of great natural parts, long experience, deep\nunderstanding, yet he will so far enslave himself to poor miscreant\nbodies as to be ready at their call, to discourse and keep company\nwith them, that at the last he may get them. How serviceable and\ntrusty soever the devil seems to be unto witches, yet he cares not\nto ensnare them at the last; for he could not but know that we were\nwaiting on to hear him and her; so that he had on purpose entered\ninto discourse with her, that she might be taken in the grin.\n\nI come to some other remarkable passages concerning Elizabeth Graham\nbefore her death, giving evidence that she was most guilty of\nwitchcraft, though she died obstinate, and would not confess. Upon\nSaturday night, November 13, she seemed to incline to a confession,\nand promised to William Watt, to tell me to-morrow after sermon all\nthat was in her heart. At which time, I had none with me but William\nWatt. When I spoke with her, she regretted her mispent time, but\nespecially her malice towards myself, which she affirmed the devil\ntempted her to. All which time she spake with a very low voice,\nthat although I desired her to speak out, we could scarce hear\nher. Whereupon I inquired the reason why she was not able to speak\nlouder? She replied, \u201cThat when she set herself to speak any thing\nthat was for her soul\u2019s good, she dought not get spoken.\u201d These were\nher words. \u201cBut if she would scold and flyte as she used to do, the\ndevil would give her strength enough to speak as loud as ever she\ndid.\u201d Within a little I posed her if she was guilty of witchcraft:\nShe stared with her eyes by me, first to the one side, and then to\nthe other; at which time, I certainly think that she saw the devil;\nfor immediately after, she began to rail upon me, although she had\nconfessed her malice at me was partly the cause of her greatest\ngrief, and still as she went on in railing, her voice became stronger\nand stronger, till at last she spoke as loud as ever she did.\n\nUpon Monday before noon, she was most bitter in her language. I posed\nher what grounds of confidence she had, if it would be well with her\nsoul? She answered, \u201cShe had no grounds yet; for she had lived a\nwicked woman, and had not yet repented; but she hoped she would get\nheaven, and get repentance, and a change would be wrought in her;\nand though she was to live but a short while, she was sure of it,\nand that I would soon see it.\u201d I thought in the mean time, she had\nspoken that in her rage. But after I perceived the devil and she had\na further design in it, as appears by what follows. That same day\nafternoon, they came and told me, that she had fallen to pray, and\nhad many gracious words, expressing her own vileness, and the sense\nshe had of God\u2019s mercy, and with tears: In which strain she continued\ntill after supper. I came then to see her, at which time she was\ncontinuing still as before, aggravating her sin and guilt, and\nshewing her hopes of salvation, and desire to die. And all along, she\nhad such pithy expressions, and Scripture so often, and plentifully\ncited, that I was put to wonder, considering that I ever had found\nher altogether ignorant of the grounds of religion, both before, and\nafter she was put into prison.\n\nAfter I had wondered at it a while, without speaking to her,\nconsidering what she had foretold so confidently before noon, I\nconcluded in my mind, that it was a draught between the devil and\nher, to feign repentance in such an odd way, that we might be\ndeceived; being made to think that she was not a witch, else she\nwould confess it, seeing God had given her repentance.\u2014Whereupon,\nseriously considering the matter, I posed her of guiltiness; she\nconfessed all the particulars of the process, which did not certainly\nconclude her to be a witch; but the rest of the particulars she\ndenied, as also the crime of witchcraft itself. However, she said,\n\u201cShe knew she would die, and desired not to live; and she thought we\nwould be free before God of her blood, because that, however she was\nfree, yet there were so many things deponed against her, that though\nit was hard for us to think otherwise of her than we did, yet she\nknew well enough her own innocence.\u201d Thus I have written all those\nparticulars, as I found them in the authentic record, written by the\nminister\u2019s own hand. She was soon after executed, and died without\nany acknowledgment of witchcraft.\n\n\n\n\nXVI.\u2014_Anent the Apparition of Sir George Villiers._\n\n\nSome few days before the Duke of Buckingham went to Portsmouth, where\nhe was stabbed by Felton, the ghost of his father Sir George Villiers\nappeared to one Parker, a religious and sober man, who had been a\nservant to the said Sir George, but now to the Duke his son. He\nappeared to him, I say, in his morning chamber-gown, and charged him\nto tell his son, that he should decline that employment and design\nhe was going upon, or else he would certainly be murdered. Parker\npromised to the apparition to do it. The Duke making preparation for\nhis expedition, the apparition came again to Parker, taxing him very\nseverely for his breach of promise, and required him not to delay the\nacquainting his son of the danger he was in. Then Parker the next day\ntells the Duke, \u201cThat his father\u2019s ghost had twice appeared to him,\nand had commanded him, without any farther delay, to give him that\nwarning.\u201d The Duke slighted it, and told him, \u201cThat he was an old\ndoting fool.\u201d That night the apparition came to Parker a third time\nsaying, \u201cParker thou hast done well in warning my son of his danger,\nbut though he will not believe thee, go to him once more, however,\nand tell him from me by such a token, (naming a private token) which\nnobody knows but only he and I, that if he will not decline this\nvoyage, such a knife as this is, (pulling a long knife out from under\nhis gown) will be his death.\u201d This message Parker also delivered\nthe next day to the Duke, who, when he heard the private token,\nbelieved he had it from his father\u2019s ghost. Yet, said he, that his\nhonour was now at stake, and he could not go come back from what he\nhad undertaken, come life come death. This message Parker, after the\nDuke\u2019s murder, communicated to his fellow-servant Henry Celey, who\ntold it to a reverend divine a neighbour of mine, (says my author)\nfrom whose mouth I have it. This Henry Celey has not been dead above\ntwenty years; and his habitation for several years before his death,\nwas at North Currie, but three miles from this place. My friend, the\ndivine aforesaid, was an intimate acquaintance of this Henry Celey\u2019s,\nand assures me he was a person of known truth and integrity.\n\n\n\n\nXVII.\u2014_Anent Hattaraick, an old Warlock._\n\n\nThis man\u2019s name was Sandie Hunter, who called himself Sandie\nHamilton; and it seems was called Hattaraick by the devil, and so by\nothers, as a nick-name. He was first a nolt-herd in East Lothian to a\ngentleman there. He was much given to charming and curing of men and\nbeasts by words and spells. His charms sometimes succeeded, sometimes\nnot. On a day herding his kine upon a hill-side in the summer-time,\nthe devil came to him in the form of a mediciner, and said, \u201cSandie,\nyou have too long followed my trade, and never acknowledged me for\nyour master; you must now take on with me, and be my servant, and I\nwill make you more perfect in your calling.\u201d Whereupon the man gave\nup himself to the devil, and received his mark, with this new name.\nAfter this he grew very famous through the country, for his charming\nand curing of diseases in men and beasts, and turned a vagrant\nfellow, like a jockie, gaining meal and flesh, and money by his\ncharms; such was the ignorance of many at that time. Whatever house\nhe came to, none durst refuse Hattaraick an alms, rather for his ill\nthan his good. One day he came to the yait of Samuelston, when some\nfriends after dinner were going to horse. A young gentleman, brother\nto the lady, seeing him, switched him about the ears, saying, \u201cYou\nwarlock carle, what have you to do here?\u201d Whereupon the fellow goes\naway grumbling, and was overheard say, \u201cYou shall dear buy this ere\nit be long.\u201d This was _damnum minatum_. The young gentleman conveyed\nhis friends a far way off, and came home that way again, where he\nsupped. After supper, taking his horse, and crossing Tyne water to\ngo home, he rides through a shadow piece of a haugh, commonly called\nAllers, and the evening being somewhat dark, he met with some persons\nthere that begat a dreadful consternation in him, which, for the\nmost part, he would never reveal. This was _malum secutum_. When he\ncame home, the servants observed terror and fear in his countenance.\nThe next day he became distracted, and was bound for several days.\nHis sister the Lady Samuelston hearing of it, was heard say, \u201cSurely\nthat knave Hattaraick is the cause of this trouble, call for him in\nall haste.\u201d When he had come to her, \u201cSandie,\u201d says she, \u201cwhat is\nthis you have done to my brother William?\u201d \u201cI told him,\u201d says he,\n\u201cI should make him repent his striking of me at the yait lately.\u201d\nShe giving the rogue fair words, and promising him his pock full of\nmeal, with beef and cheese, persuaded the fellow to cure him again.\nHe understood the business, \u201cBut I must first,\u201d says he, \u201chave one\nof his sarks.\u201d Which was soon gotten. What pranks he played with it\ncannot be known. But within a short while the gentleman recovered\nhis health. When Hattaraick came to receive his wages, he told the\nLady, \u201cYour brother William shall quickly go off the country, but\nshall never return.\u201d She knowing the fellow\u2019s prophecies to hold\ntrue, caused her brother to make a disposition to her of all his\npatrimony, to the defrauding of his young brother George. After that\nthis warlock had abused the country for a long time, he was at last\napprehended at Dunbar, and brought into Edinburgh, and burnt upon\nthe Castle hill.\u2014\u2014I have inserted this story, which I had from the\ngentleman\u2019s own brother, a thing well known at that time through\nthe country, not so much for any matter in it, as that it may be\nan occasion to me to speak a little of charms. The word charm or\nincantation comes from the Latin word _carmen_, signifying a verse,\nbecause the Roman soothsayers gave their charms in verse. It is only\na strange composure of words to blind the understanding of people,\npretending, by virtue of words, great matters may be brought to pass.\nBut words of themselves, either spoken or written, (as these charms)\nhave no force to bring any thing to pass. It is only the power of\nthe almighty God. Charming is much practised by the Pope and the\nRomish church. Their whole forms of religion, both in private and\nin public, consisting of charms of all sorts. Pope Leo had a charm,\nwhich he said he had from an angel, who taught him, that whosoever\ncarried that charm in write about him, and said every day three Pater\nNosters, three Aves, and one Creed, shall not that day be conquered\nof his enemies, nor be in other danger, ghostly or bodily, but shall\nbe protected by these holy names of Jesus Christ, written with the\nfour Evangelists, and crosses between them, as \u2020 Jesus, \u2020 Christus, \u2020\nMessias, \u2020 Sotar, \u2020 Emmanuel, &c. It is still a common practice among\nthe Papists to carry charms about them to make them shot-free when\nthey go to war; as also hath been found by experience in the late\nIrish wars, many of the idolatrous Irish being found with charms in\ntheir pockets, composed by the Popish clergy. They make their holy\nwater by a charm or conjuration, thus: \u201cI conjure thee, thou creator\nof water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that thou\ndrive the devil out of every corner of this church and altar, so\nthat he remain not within our precincts, which are just and holy.\u201d\nThis is used in the dedication of their churches. Thus, by holy\nwater, they not only conjure the devil from their churches, but from\ndwelling houses, from meat and drink, from salt upon the table. They\ndedicate their bells in steeples, which have power to clear the air\nfrom devils. It is likewise a sort of charm which many witches have,\nnamely, to cut the rowan tree between the two Beltan days. If any man\nor woman, horse, or cow, shall have a piece thereof upon them, no\ndevils or fairy shall have power to meddle with them. An old woman\nwhom I read of, used this charm when she went to bed,\n\n    Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,\n    The bed be blest that I lie on.\n\nAnd another old woman taught her neighbour this charm, when the\nbutter would not churn,\n\n    Come butter, come,\n    Come butter, come:\n    Peter stands at the gate\n    Waiting for a butter\u2019d cake,\n    Come butter, come.\n\n\n\n\nXVIII.\u2014_The Ghost of Mrs. Breton._\n\n\nDr. Breton, late rector of Ludgate, at Deptford, lived formerly\nin Herefordshire, and married the daughter of Dr. Santer. This\ngentlewoman was a person of extraordinary piety, which she expressed,\nas in her life, so at her death. She had a maid that she had a great\nkindness for; who was married to a near neighbour, whose name, as I\nremember, was Alice. Not long after her death, as Alice was rocking\nher child in the evening, she was called from the craddle by one\nknocking at the door, which being opened, she was surprised at\nthe sight of a gentlewoman, not to be distinguished from her late\nmistress, neither in person or in habit. She was in a morning gown,\nthe same in appearance with that she had often seen her mistress\nwear. At first sight she expressed very great amazement, and said,\n\u201cWere not my mistress dead, I should not question but you are she.\u201d\nShe replied, \u201cI am the same that was your mistress;\u201d and took her by\nthe hand, which Alice affirmed was cold as stone.\n\nShe added, \u201cThat she had business of great importance to employ her\nin, and that she must go immediately a little way with her.\u201d Alice\ntrembled and beseeched her to excuse her, and entreated her very\nimportunately to go to her master, who must needs be more fit to be\nemployed. She answered, \u201cThat he who was her husband, was not at\nall concerned; but yet she had a desire rather to make use of him,\nand in order thereunto had several times been in his chamber, but\nhe was still asleep; nor had she power to do more than once uncover\nhis feet towards the awakening of him.\u201d And the doctor said, \u201cThat\nhe did hear a walking in his chamber in the night, which till now,\nhe could give no account of.\u201d Alice next objected, \u201cThat her husband\nwas gone a journey, and she had no one to look to her child; that it\nwas very apt to cry vehemently, and she feared if it awakened before\nher return, it would cry itself to death, or do itself mischief.\u201d The\napparition replied, \u201cThe child shall sleep till you return.\u201d\n\nAlice seeing there was no avoiding it, sorely against her will,\nfollowed her over a stile into a large field, who then said to her,\n\u201cObserve how much of this field I measure with my feet.\u201d And when she\nhad taken a good large and leisurely compass, she said, \u201cAll this\nbelongs to the poor, it being gotten from them by wrongful means,\u201d\nand charged her to go and tell her brother, whose it was at that\ntime, that he should give it up to the poor again, forthwith, as he\nloved her and his deceased mother. This brother was not the person\nwho did this unjust act, but his father. She added, \u201cThat she was\nthe more concerned, because her name was made use of at some writing\nthat related to this land.\u201d Alice asked her, how she should satisfy\nher brother that this was no cheat or delusion of her fancy. She\nreplied, \u201cTell him this secret which he knows, that only himself and\nI are privy to, and he will believe you.\u201d Alice having promised to\nher to go on this errand, she proceeded to give her good advice, and\nentertained her all the rest of the night with heavenly and divine\ndiscourse. When the twilight appeared, they heard the noise of\nhorse-bells, whereupon the apparition said, \u201cAlice, I must be seen\nby none but yourself;\u201d and so she disappeared.\u2014Immediately Alice in\nall haste runs home, being thoughtful for her child, but found it, as\nthe apparition had said, asleep as she left it. When she had dressed\nit, and committed it to the care of a neighbour, away she went to her\nmaster the doctor, who amused at the account she gave him, sent her\nto his brother-in-law. He at first hearing her story and message,\nlaughed at it heartily. But she had no sooner told him the secret,\nbut he changed his countenance, and told her, he would give the poor\ntheir own, and accordingly he did it, and they now enjoy it.\u2014This\nwith more circumstances, many times has been related by Dr. Breton\nhimself, who was well known to be a person of great goodness and\nsincerity. He gave a large narrative of this apparition of his wife\nto two of my friends, saith my author. First, to one Mrs. Nedham, and\nafterwards, a little before his death, to Dr. Witchcot.\n\n\n\n\nXIX.\u2014_Touching an Apothecary\u2019s Servant that returned to the Shop\nafter he had been dead._\n\n\nThis is a known passage, which happened in the year 1669, at Crossen\nin Silesia; that is a part in Germany, which long since was under\nthe Polonians, but is now subject to the crown of Bohemia; the chief\nmagistrate of that town at the time, was the princess Elizabeth\nChalotta, a person famous in her generation. In the spring of the\naforesaid year, one Christopher Monig, a native of Serbell, a town\nbelonging to the princess of Anhalt, servant to an apothecary, died\nand was buried with the usual ceremonies of the Lutheran Church.\nA few days after his decease, a shape exactly like him in face,\nclothes, stature, mien, &c. appeared in the apothecary\u2019s shop, where\nhe would set himself down, and walk sometimes, and take boxes, pots,\nand glasses from the shelves, and set them again in other places,\nand sometimes try and examine the goodness of the medicines, weigh\nthem in a pair of scales, pound the drugs with a mighty noise in the\nmortar: nay, serve the people that came with their bills to the shop,\ntake their money, and lay it safe up in the counter; in a word, do\nall things that a journey-man in such cases used to do. He looked\nvery ghostly upon these that had been his fellow servants, who were\nafraid to say any thing to him; and his master being sick at that\ntime of the gout, he was often very troublesome to him, would take\nthe bills that were brought to him out of his hand, snatch away the\ncandle sometimes, and put it behind the stove. At last, he took\na cloak that hung in the shop, put it on, and walked abroad, but\nminding no body on the streets; he entered into some of the citizens\nhouses, and thrust himself into their company, especially of such as\nhe had formerly known, yet saluted no body, nor spoke to any one,\nbut to a maid servant whom he met with hard by the church-yard, and\ndesired her to go home to his master\u2019s house and dig in a ground\nchamber, where she would find inestimable treasure; but the maid,\namazed at the sight of him, swooned; whereupon he lift her up, but\nleft such a mark upon her flesh with lifting her, that it was to\nbe seen for some time after; the maid having recovered herself,\nwent home, but fell desperately sick upon it, and in her sickness,\ndiscovered what Monig had said to her, and accordingly they digged\nin the place she had named, but found nothing but one old decayed\npot with an Hemarites, or blood-stone, in it. The princess hereupon\ncaused the young man\u2019s body to be digged up, which they found\nputrified, with purulent matter flowing from it: and the master\nbeing advised to remove the young man\u2019s goods, linens, clothes, and\nthings he left behind him when he died, out of the house, the spirit\nthereupon left the house, and was seen no more. And this some people\nnow living will give their oath upon, who very well remember they saw\nhim after his decease; and the thing being so notorious, there was\ninstituted a public disputation about it in the academy of Leipsic,\nby Henry Couradus, who disputed for his doctor\u2019s degree in the\nuniversity. And this puts me in mind of an apothecary at Reichenback\nin Silesia, about fifteen years ago, who after his death, appeared to\ndivers of his acquaintance, and cried out, That in his life time he\nhad poisoned several men with his drugs; whereupon the magistrates of\nthe town took up his body and burnt it; which being done, the spirit\ndisappeared, and was seen no more.\n\n\n\n\nXX.\u2014_A wonderful Story of one Robert Churchman, inveigled in_\nQuakerism, _written by_ Dr. John Templar.\n\n\nSir, your desiring to be acquainted with some passages concerning\nthe Quakers in this town of Balsham, obligeth me to give you the\nfollowing account: At my first settlement here in the ministry, I\nfound them very busy in enticing my people to a compliance with their\npersuasions in religion; this design they did attempt to accomplish\nby dispersing their papers among them. Two of my parishioners I had\na particular eye upon, namely, Robert Churchman and his wife, they\nbeing persons of a very good life, and a pleasant estate, I was under\na fear, that their departure from the church might be a means to\ninduce others to the same practice. The first in my discourses I had\nwith him, did manifest a very strong inclination to the principles\nof the Quakers. The second was so far engaged, (meaning the said\nRobert\u2019s wife) that the Quakers did commonly report, that a principle\nwas begun in her.\n\nAs I was one day in conference with the said Robert Churchman, I\ndesired him, that when any of their books came to hand, he would\ndo me the kindness to bring them to me, that we might read them\nover together, assuring him of no unwillingness in me to hearken to\nwhatsoever should appear reasonable. What I desired, he performed\nnot long after; when I had received the paper into my hand, before\nI began to read, I suggested to him, that it would be convenient,\nthat the person who had been, the cause of his seduction should\nbe sent for, and hear what was replied to the contents, which he\nwillingly consented to. When the Quaker was come, one branch of our\ndiscourse, was, Whether the scripture is to be owned as a rule,\nwhich the Quaker denied, asserting, That the rule was within them.\nAfter the expence of two or three hours discourse about this and\nother matters, I desired Robert Churchman to take notice, that the\nQuakers did not own the Scriptures for their rule, which before this\nconference I had intimated to him, but found him unwilling to believe\nit.\u2014\u2014It pleased God so far to bless what was spoken, that the next\ntime he met his brother Thomas Churchman, he told him of what had\npassed at my house, and that now he was assured, that the Quakers\ndid not acknowledge the Scripture for their rule; and, for his part,\nhe would not be of that religion, which doth disown the Scripture\nin that particular.\u2014\u2014Not long after, the wife of the forementioned\nQuaker coming to his house to visit his wife, he met her at the\ndoor, and told her she should not come in, intimating that her visit\nwould make division between them. After some parley, the Quaker\u2019s\nwife spake to him in these words: \u201cThou wilt not believe except thou\nsee a sign, and thou mayest see some such.\u201d Within a few nights\nafter, Robert Churchman had a violent storm upon the room where he\nlay, when it was very calm in all other parts of the town, and a\nvoice within him, as he was in bed, spake to him, and bid him sing\npraises, telling him, That he should see the New Jerusalem, about\nwhich time a glimmering light appeared all about the room. Towards\nthe morning, the voice commanded him to go out of his bed naked, with\nhis wife and children. They all standing upon the floor, the spirit\nmaking use of his tongue, bid them to be down, and put their mouths\nin the dust; which they did accordingly. It likewise commanded him\nto go and call his brother and sister, that they might see the New\nJerusalem, to whom he went naked about half a mile. When he delivered\nhis message, that which spake within him charged him to denounce\nwrath against them, and declare that fire and brimstone would fall\nupon them, as it did upon Sodom and Gomorrah, if they did not obey,\nand so he returned into his own house, where upon the floor of a low\nroom, he stood naked three or four hours. All that while he was acted\nin a very unusual manner. Sometimes the spirit within forced him\nto sing, sometimes to bark like a dog. When his brother and sister\nfollowed him, and were very importunate with him to resist it, it\nbid him kill them, making use of these words, \u201cThese mine enemies\nwhich would not that I should reign over them, bring and slay before\nmy face.\u201d It made him to utter with great readiness many places of\nScripture which he had no knowledge of before. The drift of what was\nspoken, was to persuade him to comply with the Quakers, and it named\nsome who lived in the neighbouring towns. About three or four hours\nbeing thus spent, he came to himself, and was able to give a perfect\naccount of what had befallen him.\u2014\u2014Several nights after, the same\ntrouble returned upon him. His wife was tortured with extraordinary\npains. The children which lay in the room complained, that their\nmouths were stopped with wool as they were in bed. The disturbance\nwas so great, that they had thoughts of leaving his house for a time,\nand made it his desire to be at me, in mine. I prevailed with him,\nnot to be so sudden in his removal, but to make some further trial.\nIt pleased God, upon a continuance with him in prayer every day in\nthe house, that he was at last perfectly free from all molestation.\nThe Quakers hearing of his condition, gave it out, that the power of\nGod would come upon him again, and that the wound was but skinned\nover by the priest, which made me the more importunate with him to\nkeep close to the public service of God, and have nothing to do with\nthem or their writings.\u2014\u2014Which direction he observed till November\n1661, and perusing one of their books, a little after, on the 10th of\nthat month his trouble returned. A voice within him began to speak\nafter the former manner. The first sentence it uttered was, \u201cCease\nfrom man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be\naccounted?\u201d The design which he discerned that it did aim at, was\nthis, To take him off from coming to the church (where he had been\nthat day) and from hearing the word of God. It suggested several\nother Scriptures, in order to the persuading him to a compliance with\nthe Quakers, and told him, \u201cThat it would strive with him as the\nangel did with Jacob.\u201d Upon Wednesday at night, he was peremptory\nin his resisting of it. When it began to solicit him, he replied,\n\u201cThat he saw it was a spirit of delusion, which he would not obey.\u201d\nUpon which the spirit pronounced these words, \u201cGo ye cursed into\neverlasting fire;\u201d and so left him with a very great heat in his body.\n\nAfter this he was, in his own apprehension, in a very comfortable\ncondition; and while he was considering what had happened, a voice\nwithin him spake to him, saying, That the spirit that was before\nupon him, was a spirit of delusion, but now the true Spirit of God\nwas come unto him. Now Satan is turned into an angel of light.\nIt acquainted him that the doctrine of the Trinity was true; and\nthat God had an elect people; and that those whom the Father had\nelected, the Son had redeemed; and whom Christ redeemed, the Holy\nGhost sanctifieth. And told him, \u201cThat the minister of the town\nwould further instruct him about the truth of these things. Upon\nThursday morning, about break of day, it set him upon his knees, as\nhe was in bed, and bid him farewell.\u2014\u2014The same day it came upon him\nin the fields, as he was going to and coming from the market, and\npressed upon him to believe that it was the good spirit which he was\nacted with, which he still doubted of. One night that week, among\nmany arguments, which it used to that purpose, it told him, \u201cIf he\nwould not believe without a sign, he might have what he would.\u201d\nUpon that Robert Churchman desired, \u201cIf it was a good spirit, that\na wire candlestick which stood upon the cupboard, might be turned\ninto brass,\u201d which the spirit said he would do. Presently there was a\nvery unsavoury smell in the room, like that of the snuff of a candle\nnewly put out; but nothing else was done towards the fulfilling of\nthe promise.\u2014\u2014Upon the Lord\u2019s day following, he being at church, it\ncame upon him. When the chapters were named, he turned to them in\nhis Bible, but was not able to read. When the psalms were sung, he\ncould not pronounce a syllable. Upon Monday morning, his speech was\nwholly taken from him. When I came to him, and asked him how it was\nwith him? He moved his head towards me, but was not able to speak.\nI waited an hour or two in the room, hoping that his speech might\nhave returned unto him, and that I might have gained from him some\naccount of his condition. But finding no alteration, I desired those\nwho were present to join with me in prayer. As we were praying, his\nbody with much violence was thrown out of the bed, and then with\ngreat vehemency he called me to hold my tongue. When prayer was done\nhis tongue was bound as before, till at last he brake forth into\nthese words, \u201cThine is the kingdom, thine is the kingdom,\u201d which\nhe repeated above a hundred times. Sometimes he was forced into\nextreme laughter, sometimes into singing. His hands were usually\nemployed in beating his breast. All of us (there present) who stood\nby, could discern unusual heaving in his body. The distemper did\ncontinue towards the morning of the next day; and the voice within\nhim signifying to him, it would leave him, bidding him to get upon\nhis knees, in order to that end, which he did, and presently he\nhad a perfect command of himself.\u2014When I came to him, he gave me\na sober account of all the passages of the day before, having a\ndistinct remembrance of what the spirit forced him to do, and what\nwas spoken to him by those who stood by. In particular, he told me\nhe was compelled to give me that disturbance in prayer, which before\nI mentioned, the spirit using his limbs and tongue as it pleased,\ncontrary to the inclination of his own thought and mind.\u2014Upon the\nThursday following the spirit began to rage after its former manner,\nas I was praying with him. It was very discernable how it wrought\nupon his body, forced him to grate his teeth, and draw his mouth\nawry. He told me, after I had done, that it bid him denounce woe\nagainst me. It pleased God, upon continuance in prayer with me, to\nrelease him out of his trouble, and so far make it advantageous to\nhim and his wife, and some others who were so much biassed with the\nprinciples of the Quakers, that now they have a perfect dislike of\nthat way, and do diligently attend upon the public service of God, in\nthe parish church.\u2014Sir, you may be confident of the truth of what is\nhere related by your friend.\n\n  _Basham, Jan. 1, 1682._      JOHN TEMPLAR.\n\n\n\n\nXXI.\u2014_Touching Isabel Heriot._\n\n\nThis woman was born at Peaston, in the parish of Ormiston, and was\nfor several years a very useful servant to the minister there, for\nall manner of out-house work. She was of a low stature, small and\nslender of body, of a black complexion, her head stood somewhat awry\nupon her neck; she was of a drolling and jeering humour, and would\nhave spoken to persons of honour with great confidence.\n\nAfter several years service, the minister began to dislike her,\nespecially upon account of her not profiting in the knowledge of\nGod, she having so much opportunity and occasion to know and learn;\ntherefore she was put away, and went to other service for a long\ntime; after which she returned to Ormiston town, and was sometimes\nhaunting the minister\u2019s house, but without his knowledge. She took\nsickness about the beginning of winter 1680; and about the time of\nher death, her face became extremely black. Within three or four\nnights after she was buried, one Isabel Murray, relict of William\nCraig the kirk officer, saw her apparition about twelve o\u2019clock at\nnight, and her white robes upon her, such as she was put into her\ncoffin with, walking from the chapel toward the minister\u2019s louping-on\nstone, where, according to her custom when she was alive, she\nhalted a little while with her elbow leaning upon it. After this,\nshe observed her to walk in at the minister\u2019s back-yard towards the\nstable. We have only the bare testimony of this one woman for it.\nWithin some few nights after, there was a throwing of stones over\nthe minister\u2019s house, and some thrown at the hall-door and windows.\nThe stones were found in the close next morning, when they lighted;\nthey fell softly for the most part. The minister coming in one night\n(against whom the devil\u2019s malice chiefly was) at the back-door, and\nshutting it after him, had a great stone cast after him, which hit\nthe door very smartly, and left a mark and impression behind it; this\nshe did, or rather the devil, in imitation of a prank she had played\nwhile alive, for the minister having caused the other servants thrust\nher out at the same door, she threw a great stone at it with violence\nout of wrath and anger. The foresaid Isabel Murray coming out of the\nminister\u2019s house one night, or going into it, was hit very sharply\nwith a stone upon her back. The servant-man that keeped the horses,\nafter he had been at his devotion, and was going into his bed in the\nstable, was by somewhat gripped by the heel, to his great amazement;\nhe giving a great and loud cry, the mistress of the family and others\ncame into the stable, and found the lad under a great affrightment:\nthis night several clods and stones were thrown, but no person\ntouched. One thing was remarkable, that an old horse comb, which had\nbeen wanting for several years, was thrown at the lad\u2019s bed-stead\nwith great violence, yet wronged nobody. The horses would have been\nfound the next morning standing and lying disorderly, and sometimes\nall in a great sweat.\u2014\u2014While the servant-man had been dressing the\ngarden, he hath found several stones thrown at him, but was never\ntouched, save by one, which hit him very favourably; the house was\nsometimes troubled within with some small noise and din.\u2014One time\nthere was a burning coal thrown under one of the beds. One of the\nfamily upon a night, had his night-cap taken of his head in the bed,\nand found the next morning full of cinders and ashes, lying under\nthe chimney. If the devil could have done more, surely he would have\ndone it. This is the most part of the trouble which the family met\nwith, which continued for eight or nine weeks, not every night, but\nnow and then; during which time, frequent and fervent prayers were\nsent up to God by those of the family, and others out of it, which\nwanted not success. There was much talking of this ghost, and things\nspoken rashly, and some out of malice did invent lies and untruths.\nOne jeering, said, \u201cNow let the minister and his brethren, with all\ntheir prayers, drive away the devil.\u201d It is very remarkable, after\nthat time, that there was no more trouble found about the family.\u2014For\nwhat follows, we have only the simple word of the foresaid Isabel\nMurray, who, coming home from the church between the sermons, to\nthe town of Ormiston, to visit her house and kail-yard, for fear of\nvagrant cows coming over the dyke, and going down her yard, she saw\nin the minister\u2019s yard, being next adjacent, the apparition of Isabel\nHeriot, in that very habit she was laid in the coffin with. Never was\nan egg liker to another, than this apparition was like her face, her\nstature, her motion, her tongue, and behaviour. As like was the devil\nto her, as Apollo was to old Butes, whom Virgil excellently describes\nin the ninth book of his Eneids, bringing him down from heaven to\nwait upon Ascanius.\n\n  _Ascantiumque petit, forma tum vertiture oris\n  Antiquum in Butten\u2014Ibut Apollo\n  Omnia longacvo similes, vocemque coloremque\n  Etrorines albos et saeva sonantibus arma._\n\n  Apollo went, and from the heaven descends,\n  And in old Butes\u2019 form, to Ascanius bends.\n  In all points, like the old man still he went,\n  Whom then to wait on\u2019s son, \u00c6neas, sent;\n  Such his white hair, complexion, and his voice,\n  And dreadful arms, rattling with mighty noise.\n\nHer face, said the woman, was black like the mouting foot, (one of\nher own expressions) the very colour which her face had when she\ndied. She saw her walking under the fruit-trees, and over the beds\nwhere the seeds had been sown, bowing her body downward, as if\nshe had been seeking somewhat off the ground, saying to herself,\n\u201cA stane, a stane;\u201d for so she pronounced the words; for she had\ngathered a considerable number of small stones in her lap, which\nthe woman saw her throw down at a bush root, near to the foot of\nthe yard. Some may apprehend that these were the stones which she\nfrequently cast in the night-time. This woman seeing her, says,\nwith very great confidence, \u201cWow! what\u2019s thou doing here, Isabel\nHeriot? I charge thee, by the law thou lives on, to tell me.\u201d See\nthe like expression, page 16. She replies, or rather the foul fiend\nin her likeness, \u201cI am even come again, because I wronged my master\nwhile I was his servant; for it was I that stealed his shekel.\u201d\nThis was a Jewish shekel of gold, (which, with some other things,\nhad been stolen from him several years before,) \u201cwhich I hid under\nthe hearth stone in the kitchen, and then when I flitted, took it\nto the Canongate, and did offer to sell it to a French woman, who\nlodged where I served. She asked where I got it? I told her I found\nit between Leith and Edinburgh. One night,\u201d says she, \u201cI was riding\nhome late from the town, and near the head of Fauside-brae, the horse\nstumbled, and I said, The devil raise thee; where upon the foul thief\nappeared presently to him, and threatened me if I would not grant to\ndestroy my master the minister, he would throw me into a deep hole\nthere, which I suppose is still yet remaining: or if I could not get\npower over my master, I should strive to destroy the schoolmaster.\u201d\nIt was very remarkable, that one of the minister\u2019s servant women,\nhad given to the schoolmaster\u2019s servant woman some linens to make\nclean, among which there was a cross-cloth of strong linen, which\ncould never be found, though diligent search was made for it, till\none morning the master awakening, found it bound about his night-cap;\nwhich bred admiration both to himself and his wife; no more skaith\nwas the devil or the witches able to do him. What way this was done,\nor for what end, it cannot be well known; but it is probable, that\nthey designed to strangle and destroy him in the night-time, which is\ntheir usual time of working and doing mischief. This happened about\nthe time, I suppose, that the devil had charged Isabel Heriot to\ndestroy this honest man; yet within two days, a young child of his,\nof a year old, fell sick, which was quickly pulled away by death,\nnone knowing the cause or nature of the disease.\u2014But I proceed. She\nconfessed likewise, how the devil met with her a second time, at\nElphinston-mill, within a quarter of a mile of Ormiston, and told\nwhat the devil did to her.\u2014And says she, \u201cI was coming one night\nfrom Haddington-market with horse-corn, and met with the devil at\nKnockhills, who bid me destroy Thomas Anderson, who was riding with\nme; and because I refused; he threw the horse-corn off the horse.\u201d\nThis Thomas Anderson was a christian man. It is well remembered\nyet, that she went the next morning timeously, and brought home her\noats, which had lain there all night. \u201cAnd moreover,\u201d says she, \u201cI\ncheated my master when I went to the market to buy oats; for I made\nhim believe I gave more money for the boll than I did. And do not\nyou remember, Isabel Murray, that one night, you coming out of the\nminister\u2019s house, got a sore knock on the back with a stone? It was\nI, but it was not for your own sake, but for your goodman\u2019s sake,\nWilliam Craig, who threw me one day into the Jawhole, and abused me.\u201d\nShe told this woman likewise, that she would fain have spoken with\nher master. After this conference, the woman began to be afraid,\nand came running home in haste.\u2014During all this time, there was no\nperson in the family that met with any hurt or skaith, or saw any\nthing, such, was the Lord\u2019s kindness to them all. One Isabel Elliot\na witch, confessed to the minister, that many nights his house and\nyard would have been beset with witches. The same woman asked the\ndevil one time, Why they could not get amends of him? He told her, he\nwas locked up.\u2014This woman, Isabel Heriot, was never reputed a witch,\nnor delated by any for witchcraft; some jeeringly would have called\nher so. She was indeed ignorant of religion, notwithstanding of the\nmany excellent opportunities she had for gaining knowledge. Next her\nriding and travelling from far places in the country, in the night as\nwell as in the day time, and coming home late without fear, and her\nstunkard ill nature bred suspicion. If she had confessed a compact\nwith the devil, before her death, it might have been a good ground;\nbut this trouble happening to the family immediately after her death,\nand her apparition being seen, gave all occasion to say she was a\nwitch. But these things do not infallible conclude. But what could\nher apparition be? It behoved to be either her real body, informed\nand acted by the devil, (for her soul could not be brought back)\nor only the devil taking upon him her shape and form, acting and\nimitating her to the life; which is more probable.\n\nI have adventured to publish this without his knowledge, presuming so\nmuch upon his goodness, love of truth, and useful instruction to the\nworld, though I should displease his own humour, whilst haply I may,\nupon this mature consideration, gratify some more noble principle in\nhim. For I know nothing in the thing that can turn to his dishonour;\nfor the best of men and families have suffered from the devil in\nextraordinary ways, and it has been their glory, that by their faith\nand courage, and confidence in the arm of God, they have overcome\nhim. If I have erred in some circumstances, or in any other thing,\nI am to be excused, since I was not an eye-witness. And what I have\nwritten anent the apparition, was most part from the woman\u2019s own\nmouth.\n\n\n\n\nXXII.\u2014_Anent a Magician at Antwerp._\n\n\nMr. Tindal, the first translator of the Bible into English after\nthe Reformation, being at Antwerp, whilst the persecution was hot\nin England against the truth, he was told by some English merchant\nthere, of a notable magician in that place, whose use was at feasts,\nor when they used to meet at supper, to bring to the table whatever\nwines or delicious fruit the company would desire, and set presently\nbefore them, with other amazing proofs of the power of the devil.\nMr. Tindal perceiving what a snare this might be to some, desired\nthat when they met together with him, he might be present without\nbeing known what he was. After they were met and at table, this\nwretched magician, after this manner, began to try his black art,\nbut it would not do with him; for whilst he had wearied himself in\nobserving his spells, charms, and incantations, and what the farthest\nthat hellish skill and power could do to satisfy the company, he was\nat last enforced to this confession before them all, which he spake\nwith great wrath and anger, \u201cThat there was one in the company that\nhindered his work, by reason of whom he could get nothing done at\nthat time.\u201d\u2014I may add to this a strange providence of God.\u2014Mr. John\nCraig, that was a minister to King James here in Scotland, being,\nwhen he was a young man, apprehended at Rome, for venting heresy,\nas they called it, was shut up in prison. In the mean time Paul the\nIV. dies. The banditti that night broke up all the prison doors,\nand set at liberty all the prisoners. Mr. John Craig escapes with\nan intention to go to Bononia. But fearing hurt there, he set his\nmind toward Milan. When he had travelled some days, declining the\nhighways out of fear, he came into a forest, a wild and desert place,\nand being sore wearied, lay down among some bushes, at the side of\na little river, to refresh himself. He lay there pensive and full\nof thought; for neither knew he in what place he was, nor had he\nmeans to carry him out of the way. In the mean time there came a dog\nfawning upon him, with a purse in his teeth with money, and lays it\ndown before him; he, strucken with fear, rises up; but construing the\nsame to proceed from God\u2019s favourable providence, he accepted of it,\nand held on his way till he came to Vienna in Austria.\n\n\n\n\nXXIII.\u2014_Anent a great Doctor of Divinity that rose out of the Bier,\nand spake to all that were present._\n\n\nIt is written in the life of one Bruno, that a doctor of great note\nfor learning and godliness, being dead, was brought to the church to\nbe buried; and while they were in their popish devotions, and came\nto these words, _Responde de mihi_, the corps arose in the bier,\nand with an extremely terrible voice cried out, _Justo Die judicio\naccusatus sum_, \u201cI am accused at the just judgement of God.\u201d At which\nvoice the people ran all out affrighted. On the morrow, when they\ncame again to perform the obsequies, to the like words as before,\nthe corpse arose again, and cried with a hideous voice, _Justo Die\ncondemnatus sum_. \u201cI am judged at the righteous judgement of God.\u201d\nWhereupon the people ran away amazed. The third day almost all the\ncity came together; and when they came to the same words as before,\nthe corps rose again, and cried with a more doleful noise than\nbefore, _Justo Dei judicio condemnatus sum_. \u201cI am condemned at the\nrighteous judgment of God.\u201d The consideration whereof, that a man\nreputed so upright, should yet by his own confession, be damned,\ncaused Bruno and the rest of his companions to enter into the strict\norder of Carthusians. The author and relator makes this use of it:\n\u201cIf the voice of the dead man could affright them unto superstition,\nshould not the warning of God affright unto true doctrine?\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXXIV.\u2014_Some drunkards destroyed by the devil._\n\n\nThis hath been published in a sermon by a godly minister; but I must\ninsert it here in its own proper place. On the 8th of February,\nsaith my author, in the year 1578, a company of drunkards, whose\nnames are recorded as followeth, Adam Gibbons, George Keepel, John\nKeysel, Peter Horsdroff, John Warner, Simon Heamkers, Jacob Hermons,\nand Hermon Frow. These eight drunkards, in contempt of the blessed\nsabbath, agreed to go to the tavern on the Lord\u2019s day to be merry;\nand coming to the house of Anthony Hodge, an honest godly man, they\ncalled for burnt wine, sack, claret, and what not. The good man\nrefusing to give them any, advised them to go to the church to hear\nthe word of God; but they all, save Adam Gibbons, refused, saying\nthey loathed that exercise. Whereupon the host departed; who being\ngone to church, they began to curse and ban, wishing he might break\nhis neck ere he returned; and wishing the devil might break their own\nnecks, if they went from hence till they had some wine.\n\nWhereupon the devil, in the likeness of a youngman, appeared unto\nthem, bringing in his hand a flagon of wine, and so drank unto\nthem, saying, \u201cGood fellows be merry, you shall have wine enough;\nyou seem to be lusty lads, and I hope you will pay me well; who\nanswering said, \u201cThey would either pay him or engage their neck for\nit. Yea, rather than fail, their bodies and souls.\u201d Thus these men\ncontinued drinking and swilling so long, till they could hardly see\none another. At last the devil, their host, told them, that now they\nmust pay for all, at which their hearts waxed cold. But the devil bid\nthem be of good cheer, for now they must drink fire and brimstone\nwith him in the pit of hell for ever. At which the devil brake their\nnecks asunder and destroyed them. Thus ended these drunkards their\ndays; and this, by the way, may serve for a document to all drunkards\nfor ever; and to persuade folk that the Lord has the devil for his\nexecutioner, when he pleases to execute his vengeance upon great\nsinners.\n\n\n\n\nXXV.\u2014_Touching one William Barton, a Warlock._\n\n\nAbout thirty years ago, more or less, there was one William Barton\napprehended for witchcraft. His confession was, first, that if he had\ntwenty sons, he would advise them to shun the lust of uncleanness.\n\u201cFor,\u201d said he, \u201cI never saw a beautiful woman, maid, or wife, but\nI coveted them, which was the only cause that brought me to be the\ndevil\u2019s vassal. One day, going from my own house in Kirkliston to\nthe Queen\u2019s Ferry, I overtook, in Denny Muir, a young gentlewoman,\nas to appearance, beautiful and comely. I drew near to her, but she\nshunned my company; and when I insisted, she became angry and very\nnice. Said I, since we are both going one way, be pleased to accept\nof a convoy: at last, after much entreaty, she grew better natured;\nand at length we came to that familiarity, that she suffered me to\nembrace her, and to do that which Christian ears ought not to hear\nof. At this time I parted with her very joyfully. The next night\nshe appeared to him in that very same place; and after that which\nshould not be named, he became sensible that it was the devil. Here\nhe renounced his baptism, and gave up himself to her service, and she\ncalled him her beloved, and gave him the new name of John Baptist,\nand received the mark. She likewise bestowed \u00a315 Scots in name of\ntocher, and so parted.\u2014When he had gone a little way off, she calls\nhim back, and gave him a mark piece in good and sufficient money,\nwhich she had him spend at the Ferry, and desired him to keep entire\nand whole the \u00a315, which he declared was real and true money. He\nconfessed, that they never met together but they played their pranks.\nAfter this confession, he begged liberty to sleep a little, which the\njudges granted to him. When he had sleeped a short time, he awakened\nwith a great laughter. The judges enquired the reason; he replied,\nbeing seriously urged, That the devil had come to him, and rebuked\nhim with anger, and threatened him most furiously that he confessed,\nand bade him deny all, for he should be his warrant.\u2014\u2014After this he\nturned obdured, and would never, to his dying hour, acknowledge any\nthing, for the devil had persuaded him, even from his first engaging,\nThat no man should take his life; which promise he firmly believed to\nthe very last. When they told him in the prison-house, that the fire\nwas built, and the stake was up, and the executioner coming to bring\nhim forth, he answered, he cared not for that; for, said he, \u201cI shall\nnot die this day.\u201d But the executioner got presently orders to lead\nhim forth; and he stepping in at the prison door, was in an instant\nshot to death, as they say, and never stirred again. In this strait,\nthey appointed the executioner\u2019s wife to strangle him, which she did\nwillingly, a reward being promised to her. When the warlock heard\nthis, that a woman was to put him to death, \u201cO,\u201d says he, \u201chow hath\nthe devil deceived me? Let none ever trust his promises.\u201d All this\nwas done at Kirkliston, before famous witnesses. The executioner\u2019s\nname was Andrew Martin, and his wife\u2019s name Margaret Hamilton, who,\nwhen her husband died, clapped her hands, and cried often, \u201cDool,\nfor his parting, my dear Andrew Martin.\u201d This Barton\u2019s wife had been\nlikewise taken with him, who declared, that she never knew him to\nbe a warlock before; and he likewise declared, that he never knew\nher to have been a witch before. She confessed that malice against\none of her neighbours moved her to engage in the devil\u2019s service.\nShe renounced her baptism, and did prostrate her body to the foul\nspirit, and received his mark, and got a new name from him; and was\ncalled Margaratus. She was asked, if ever she had any pleasure in\nhis company? \u201cNever much,\u201d says she, \u201cbut one night going a dancing\nupon Pentlandhills, he went before us in the likeness of a rough\ntanny dog, playing on a pair of pipes; the spring he played, says\nshe, was, \u201cThe silly bit kitchen gar cast it a pickle, and it will\ngrow meikle. And coming down the hill, when we had done, which was\nthe best sport, he carried the candle in his bottom, under his tail,\nwhich played ay wig wag, wig-wag.\u201d She was burned with her husband.\n\nThere is one thing remarkable in the story, that he bestowed so much\nmoney upon the warlock, which proved good and sufficient coin. \u2019Tis\nseldom he is so liberal. But surely he would be more liberal, if the\nLord would suffer him to steal, or make use of treasures lying hid\nin the ground, or in the bottom of the sea. If this liberty were\ngranted, he might deceive the most part of men and women in the world\nwith his gifts. The next relation shall be in confirmation of this.\n\n\n\n\nXXVI.\u2014_A wonderful and strange accident which fell out at Lyons in\nFrance._\n\n\nA Lieutenant of a guard, called Jaquette, having supped one night\nin a rich merchant\u2019s house, was passing home, and by the way, said,\n\u201cI wonder what I have eaten and drunken at the merchant\u2019s house:\nfor I find myself so hot, that if I met with the devil\u2019s dame this\nnight, I could not forbear using of her.\u201d Hereupon, a little after,\nhe overtook a gentlewoman masked, whom he would needs usher home to\nher lodging, but discharged all his company except two. She brought\nhim, to his apprehension, to a low house hard by the city wall, where\nthere were only two rooms. After he had enjoyed her, he desired her,\nthat, according to the custom of French Gentlemen, his two comrades\nmight partake of the same pleasure; so she admitted them one after\nanother. And when all was done, as they sat together, she told them,\n\u201cIf they knew well who she was, none of them would have ventured upon\nher.\u201d Thereupon she whistled three times, and all evanished. The next\nmorning the two comrades that had gone with Lieutenant Jaquette were\nfound dead under the city wall, among the ordure and excrements, and\nJaquette himself a little way off half dead; who was taken up, and\ncoming to himself again, confessed all this, and presently died. This\nmay verify the preceding relation.\n\n\n\n\nXXVII.\u2014_A Marvellous Prank played by the Devil at Hamelen, a Town in\nGermany._\n\n\nThis city was annoyed with rats and mice. It happened that a\npied-coated piper came thither, who covenanted with the chief\nburghers for such a reward, if he could free them from the said\nvermin; nor would he demand it for a twelvemonth and a day after.\nThe agreement being made, he began to play on the pipes, and all the\nrats and mice followed him to a great loch hard by, where they all\nperished; so that the town was infested no more. At the end of the\nyear, the piper returned for his reward, the burghers put him off\nwith slighting and neglect, offering him some small matter, which he\nrefused. And staying some days in town, on a Sunday morning, at high\nmass, when most people were at church, he fell to play his pipes, and\ntheir children up and down followed him out of the town, to a great\nhill not far off, which rent in two, and let him and the children in,\nand so closed up again. This happened about two hundred and fifty\nyears since. And in that town, they date their bills and bonds, and\nother instruments in law to this day, from the year of the going\nout of their children; besides, there is a great pillar of stone,\nerected at the foot of the said hill, where this story is engraven.\n\n\n\n\nXXVIII.\u2014_A relation of the strange Witchcraft discovered in the\nvillage of Monra in Swedeland._\n\n\nThe news of this witchcraft coming to the king\u2019s ear, his Majesty was\npleased to appoint commissioners, some of the clergy, and some of the\nlaity, to make a journey to the town aforesaid, and to examine the\nwhole business; and accordingly the examination was ordered to be on\nthe 13th of August; and the commissioners met on the 12th instant, in\nthe said village, at the parson\u2019s house, to whom both the minister\nand several people of fashion, complained with tears in their eyes,\nof the miserable condition they were in; and therefore begged of\nthem to think of some way, whereby they might be delivered from that\ncalamity. They gave the commissioners very strange instances of the\ndevil\u2019s tyranny among them; how by the help of witches, he had drawn\nsome hundreds of children to him, and made them subject to his power;\nhow he hath been seen to go in a visible shape through the country,\nand appeared daily to the people; how he had wrought upon the poorer\nsort, by presenting them with meat and drink, and this way allured\nthem to himself, with other circumstances to be mentioned hereafter.\nThe inhabitants of the village added, with great lamentations, That\nthough their children had told all, and themselves had sought God\nvery earnestly by prayer, yet they were carried away by him. And\ntherefore begged of the lords commissioners to root out this hellish\ncrew, that they might regain their former rest and quietness; and\nthe rather because the children, which used to be carried away in\nthe country or district of Elsdale, since some witches had been\nburnt there, remained unmolested.\u2014That day, _i. e._ the 13th of\nAugust, being the last humiliation day instituted by authority for\nthe removing of this judgment, the commissioners went to church,\nwhere there appeared a considerable assembly both of young and old.\nThe children could read most of them, and sing psalms, and so could\nthe women, though not with any great zeal and fervour. There were\npreached two sermons that day, in which the miserable case of those\npeople that suffered themselves to be deluded by the devil, was laid\nopen; and these sermons were at last concluded with very fervent\nprayers.\u2014The public worship being over, all the people of the town\nwere called together in the parson\u2019s house, near three thousand\nof them. Silence being commanded, the king\u2019s commission was read\npublicly in the hearing of them all, and they were charged, under\nvery great penalties, to conceal nothing of what they knew, and to\nsay nothing but truth; those especially who were guilty, that the\nchildren might be delivered from the clutches of the devil. They all\npromised obedience; the guilty feignedly, but the guiltless weeping\nand crying bitterly.\n\nOn the 14th of August, the commissioners met again, consulting how\nthey might withstand this dangerous flood. After long deliberation,\nan order also coming from his Majesty, they resolved to execute such\nas the matter of fact could be proven upon. Examination being made,\nthere were no less than threescore and ten in the village aforesaid,\nthree-and-twenty of which confessing their crimes, were condemned\nto die; one pretending she was with child, and the rest denying and\npleading not guilty, were sent to Fahluna, where most of them were\nafterwards executed.\u2014Fifteen children, who likewise confessed that\nthey were engaged in this witchery, died as the rest; thirty-six of\nthem between 9 and 16 years of age, who had been less guilty, were\nforced to run the gantlop. Twenty more, who had no great inclination,\nyet had been seduced to those hellish enterprizes, because they were\nvery young, were condemned to be lashed with rods upon their hands\nfor three Sundays together at the church door; and the aforesaid\nthirty-six were also doomed to be lashed this way once a-week for a\nwhole year together. The number of the seduced children were about\nthree hundred.\u2014On the 25th of August, execution was done upon the\nnotoriously guilty; the day being bright and glorious, and the sun\nshining, and some thousands of people being present at the spectacle.\nThe order and method observed in the examination was thus:\u2014First,\nThe commissioners and neighbouring justices went to prayer; this\ndone, the witches, who had most of them children with them, which\nthey had either seduced, or attempted to seduce, some 7 years of\nage, nay, from 4 to 16 years, were set before them. Some of the\nchildren complained lamentably of the misery and mischief they\nwere forced sometimes to suffer off the devil and the witches.\u2014The\nchildren being asked, Whether they were sure that they were at\nany time carried away by the devil? They all declared they were,\nbegging of the commissioners, that they might be freed from that\nintolerable slavery.\u2014Hereupon the witches themselves were asked,\nWhether the confessions of these children were true? and admonished\nto confess the truth, that they might turn away from the devil unto\nthe living God. At first, most of them did very stiffly, and without\nshedding the least tear, deny it, though much against their will\nand inclination. After this the children were examined every one by\nthemselves, to see whether their confession did agree or not; and\nthe commissioners found that all of them, except some very little\nones, who could not tell all the circumstances, did punctually\nagree in their confession of particulars.\u2014In the mean while, the\ncommissioners that were of the clergy, examined the witches, but\ncould not bring them to any confession, all continuing stedfast\nin their denials, till at last some of them burst out into tears,\nand their confession agreed with what the children said; and they\nexpressed their abhorrence of the fact, and begged pardon. Adding,\nthat the devil, whom they called Locyta, had stopped the mouths of\nsome of them, so loath was he to part with his prey, and had stopped\nthe ears of others. And being now gone from them, they could no\nlonger conceal it; for they had now perceived his treachery.\u2014The\nconfession which the witches made in Elsdale to the judges there,\nagreed with the confession they made at Monra; and the chief things\nthey confessed consisted in these three points; First, Whither they\nused to go. Secondly, What kind of place it was they went to, called\nby them Blockula, where there the witches and the devil used to meet.\nThirdly, What evil and mischief they had either done, or designed\nthere.\u2014First, Of their journey to Blockula. The contents of their\nconfession.\u2014\u2014We of the province of Elsdale, do confess, that we used\nto go to a gravel-pit, which lies hard by a cross-way, and there we\nput on a vest over our heads, and then danced round, and after this\nran to the cross-way, and called the devil thrice, first with a\nstill voice, the second time somewhat louder, and the third time very\nloud with these words, \u201cAntecessor, come and carry us to Blockula.\u201d\nWhereupon immediately he used to appear, but in different habits;\nbut for the most part, we saw him in a grey coat and red and blue\nstockings. He had a red beard, a high crowned hat, with linen of\ndivers colours wrapt about it, and long garters upon his stockings.\nIt is very remarkable, that the devil never appears to the witches\nwith a sword at his side. Then he asked us, Whether we would serve\nhim with soul and body? If we were content to do so, he set us on a\nbeast which he hath there ready, and carried us over churches and\nhigh walls; and after all, we came to a green meadow where Blockula\nlies. We must procure some scrapings of altars, and filings of church\nclocks, and then he gave us a horn, with salve in it, wherewith we\ndo anoint ourselves, and a saddle, with a hammer, and a wooden nail,\nthereby to fix the saddle; whereupon we call upon the devil, and away\nwe go.\u2014Those that were of the town of Monra made in a manner the same\ndeclaration. Being asked, Whether they were sure of a real personal\ntransportation, and whether they were awake when it was done? They\nall answered in the affirmative; and that the devil sometimes laid\nsomething down in the place that was very like them. But one of\nthem confessed, that he did only take away her strength, and her\nbody lay still upon the ground; yet sometimes he took away her body\nwith him.\u2014Being asked how they could go with their bodies through\nchimnies, and broken panes of glass? They said, That the devil did\nfirst remove all that might hinder them in their flight, and so\nthey had room enough to go.\u2014Others were asked, How they were able\nto carry so many children with them? They answered, That when the\nchildren were asleep, they came into the chamber and laid hold of the\nchildren, which straightway did awake, and asked them, Whether they\nwould go to a feast with them? To which some answered, Yes; others,\nNo; yet they were all forced to go. They only gave the children a\nshirt, a coat, and doublet, which was either red or blue; and so they\nset them upon a beast of the devil\u2019s providing, and then they rode\naway.\u2014The children confessed the same thing; and some added, that\nbecause they had very fine clothes put upon them, they were very\nwilling to go.\u2014Some of the children concealed it from their parents,\nbut others discovered it to them presently. The witches declared\nmoreover, that till of late they had never power to carry away\nchildren, but only this year and the last; and the devil did at that\ntime force them to it: That heretofore it was sufficient to carry\nbut one of their children, or a stranger\u2019s child with them, which\nhappened seldom; but now he did plague them and whip them, if they\ndid not procure him many children, insomuch that they had no peace\nnor quiet for him: And whereas that formerly one journey a week would\nserve their turn from their own town to the place aforesaid, now they\nwere forced to run to other towns and places for children; and that\nthey brought with them, some 15, some 16 children every night.\u2014For\nthe journey, they said, they made use of all sorts of instruments,\nof beasts, and of men, of spits and posts, according as they had\nopportunity. If they ride upon goats, and have many children with\nthem, that all may have room, they stick a spit into the backside of\nthe goat, and then are anointed with the aforesaid ointment. What the\nmanner of their journey is, God alone knows. This much was made out,\nthat if the children did at any time name the names of those, either\nmen or women, that had been with them, or had carried them away, they\nwere again carried by force, either to Blockula or the cross-way, and\nthere beaten, insomuch that some of them died of it; and this some\nof the witches confessed; and added, that now they were exceedingly\ntroubled and tortured in their minds for it. The children thus used\nlooked mighty black, wan and beaten. The marks of the whips the\njudges could not perceive on them, except on one boy, who had some\nwounds and holes in his back, that were given him with thorns; but\nthe witches said, they would quickly vanish.\n\nAfter this usage, the children are exceeding weak; and if any be\ncarried over night, they cannot recover themselves the next day,\nand they often fall into fits; the coming of which, they know by an\nextraordinary paleness that seizes on the children: and when a fit\ncomes upon them, they lean upon their mother\u2019s arms, who sits up with\nthem, sometimes all night, and when they observe the paleness, shake\nthe children, but to no purpose.\u2014They observe further, that their\nchildren\u2019s breasts grow cold at such times, and they take sometimes a\nburning candle, and stick it in their hair, which yet is not burned\nby it. They swoon upon this paleness; which swoon lasteth sometimes\nhalf an hour, sometimes an hour, sometimes two hours; and when the\nchildren come to themselves again, they mourn and lament, and groan\nmost miserably, and beg to be eased. This the old men declared upon\noath before the judges, and called the inhabitants of the town to\nwitness as persons that had most of them experience of the strange\nsymptoms of their children.\u2014A little girl of Elsdale confessed, that\nnaming the name of Jesus, as she was carried away, she fell suddenly\nupon the ground, and got a great hole in her side, which the devil\npresently healed up again, and away he carried her. And to this\nday, the girl confessed, she had exceeding great pain in her side.\nAnother boy confessed, too, that one day he was carried away with his\nmistress; and to perform the journey, he took his father\u2019s horse out\nof the meadow, where it was feeding, and upon his return, she let the\nhorse go in her own. The next morning the boy\u2019s father sought for the\nhorse, and not finding it, gave it over for lost; but the boy told\nhim the whole story, and so the father fetcht the horse back again,\nand this one of the witches confessed.\n\nWe come next to the place where they used to assemble, called\nBlockula, and what they did there. They unanimously confessed, that\nBlockula is situated in a large meadow, like a plain sea, wherein you\ncan see no end. The place or house they met at, had before it a great\ngate, painted with many divers colours on it. Through this gate they\nwent into a little meadow distant from the other, where the beasts\nwent which they used to ride on: But the men whom they made use of\nin their journey, stood in the house by the gate, in a slumbering\nposture, sleeping over against the wall.\u2014In a huge large room of\nthis house, they said, there stood a very large long table, at which\nthe witches did sit down; and that hard by this room was another\nchamber, where there ere some lovely and delicate beds.\u2014The first\nthing they said they must do at Blockula was, that they must deny\nall, and devote themselves body and soul to the devil, and promise\nto serve him faithfully, and confirm it with an oath. Hereupon they\ncut their fingers, and write their name in his book. They added,\nThat he caused them to be baptized, too, by such priests as he had\nthere, and made them to confirm their baptism with dreadful oaths and\nimprecations. Hereupon the devil gave them a purse, wherein there\nwere filings of clocks, with a big stone tied to it, which they threw\ninto the water, and then were forced to speak these words. \u201cAs these\nfilings of the clock do never return to the clock from which they\nwere taken, so may my soul never return to heaven.\u201d To which they\nadded blasphemy, and other oaths and curses.\u2014The mark of their cut\nfinger is not found in all of them. But a girl who had been slashed\nover her finger, declared, That because she would not stretch out her\nfinger, the devil in anger had so cruelly wounded it.\u2014After this,\nthey sat down to table, and those that the devil esteemed most, were\nplaced nearest to him; but the children must stand at the door, where\nhe himself gives them meat and drink.\u2014The diet they used to have\nthere, was, they said, broth with colworts and bacon in them, oat\nmeal bread spread with butter, milk and cheese. And they added, that\nsometimes it tasted very well, and sometimes very ill. After meals\nthey went to dancing; and in the mean time, swore and cursed most\ndreadfully; and afterwards went to fighting one with another. Those\nof Elsdale confessed, That the devil used to play upon a harp before\nthem; and afterwards to go with them he loved best into a chamber,\nwhere he committed venerous acts with them. And this indeed all\nconfessed, that he had carnal knowledge of them; and that the devil\nhad sons and daughters by them, which he did marry together, and\nthey did couple, and brought forth toads and serpents.\u2014One day the\ndevil seemed to be dead, whereupon there were great lamentation at\nBlockula; but he soon awakened again. If he hath a mind to be merry\nwith them, he lets them all ride upon spits before them, and he takes\nafterwards the spits, and beats them black and blue, and then laughs\nat them. And he bids them believe that the day of judgment will come\nspeedily, and therefore sets them at work to build a great house of\nstone, promising, that in that house he will preserve them from God\u2019s\nfury, and cause them to enjoy the greatest delights and pleasures;\nbut while they work exceeding hard at it, there falls a greater part\nof the wall down again, whereby some of the witches are commonly\nhurt, which makes him laugh; but presently he cures them again.\u2014They\nsaid, they had seen sometimes a very great devil like a dragon, with\nfire round about him, and bound with an iron chain; and the devil\nthat converses with them tells, that if any confess any thing, he\nwill set that great devil loose upon them, whereby all Swedeland\nshall come to a great danger. They added, that the devil had a church\nthere, such another as in the town of Monra. When the commissioners\nwere coming, he told the witches they should not fear them, for he\nwould certainly kill them all. And they confessed, that some of them\nhad attempted to murder the commissioners, but had not been able to\neffect it.\u2014Some of the children talked much of a white angel, which\nused to forbid them what the devil had bid them to do; and told them,\nthat those things should not last long; what had been done, had been\nbut permitted, because of the sin and wickedness of the people and\ntheir parents; and that the carrying away of the children should\nbe made manifest. And they added, that this white angel would place\nhimself sometimes at the door, betwixt the witches and the children;\nand that when they came to Blockula, he pulled the children back, but\nthe witches went in.\u2014We come, in the next place, to shew the mischief\nand evil which the witches promised to do to men and beasts. They\nconfessed, that they were to promise the devil, that they would do\nall that\u2019s ill; and that the devil taught them to milk, which was\nafter this manner: They used to stick a knife in the wall, and hang\na kind of label on it, which they drew and stroaked; and as long as\nthis lasted, the persons they had power over were miserably plagued,\nand the beasts were milked that way, till sometimes they died.\u2014A\nwoman confessed, that the devil gave her a wooden knife; wherewith,\ngoing into houses, she had power to kill any thing she touched with\nit; yet there were few that would confess, that they had hurt any\nman or woman. Being asked, whether they had murdered any children?\nthat they confessed, they had indeed tormented many, but did not know\nwhether any of them died of these plagues.\u2014And added, that the devil\nhad shewed them several places where he had power to do mischief.\u2014The\nminister of Elsdale declared that one night these witches were, to\nhis thinking, on the crown of his head; and that from thence he had a\nlong continued pain of the head.\u2014One of the witches confessed, that\nthe devil had sent her to torment that minister; and that she was\nordered to use a nail, and strike it into his head, but it would not\nenter deep, and hence became that head-ach. The minister said also,\nthat one night he felt a pain, as it were torn with an instrument\nthat they clean flax with, or a flax-comb; and when he awakened, he\nheard some body scratching and scraping at the window, but could see\nnobody; and one of the witches confessed, that she was the person\nthat did it, being sent by the devil.\u2014The minister of Monra declared\nalso, that one night one of these witches came into his house, and\ndid so violently take him by the throat, that he thought he should\nhave been choaked; and awakening, he saw the person that did it,\nbut could not know her; and that for some weeks he was not able to\nspeak, or perform divine service.\u2014An old woman of Elsdale confessed,\nthat the devil had helped her to make a nail, which she struck into\na boy\u2019s knee, of which stroke the boy remained lame a long time. And\nshe added, that before she was burned or executed by the hand of\njustice, the boy would recover.\u2014They confessed also, that the devil\ngives them a beast, about the shape and bigness of a cat, which they\ncall a carrier; and he gives them a bird, too, as big as a raven,\nbut white: And these creatures they can send any where; and wherever\nthey come, they take away all sorts of victuals they can get, as\nbutter, cheese, milk, bacon, and all sorts of seeds, whatever they\ncan find, and carry it to the witches. What the bird brings, they may\nkeep for themselves: but what the carrier brings, they must reserve\nfor the devil, and that is brought to Blockula, where he gives them\nof it as much as he thinks fit.\u2014They added, that the carriers filled\nthemselves so full oftentimes, that they are forced to spew by the\nway, which spewing is found in several gardens, where colworts\ngrow, and not far from the houses of the witches. It is of a yellow\ncolour like gold, and is called the butter of the witches.\u2014The lords\ncommissioners were indeed very earnest, and took great pains to\npersuade them to shew some of their tricks, but to no purpose; for\nthey did all unanimously confess, that since they had confessed all,\nthey found that all their witchcraft was gone and the devil at this\ntime appeared very terrible, with claws on his hands and feet, with\nhorns on his head, and a long tail behind, and shewed them a pit\nburning with a hand out; but the devil did thrust the person down\nagain with an iron fork; and suggested to the witches, that if they\ncontinued in their confession, he should deal with them in the same\nmanner.\n\nThe above relation is taken from the public register, where all this\nis related with more circumstances. At this time, through all the\ncountry, there are prayers weekly in all the churches, to the end\nthat ALMIGHTY GOD would pull down the devil\u2019s power, and deliver\nthose poor creatures which have hitherto groaned under it.\u2014The lord\nLyonbergh, envoy extraordinary for the king of Sweden, confirmed this\nat London, March 8, 1682, and gave it under his hand, that the matter\nof fact mentioned here is true.\n\n\n\n\nXXIX.\u2014_Touching an Apparition seen at Gladsmuir, with some other\nGleanings._\n\n\nI find among some of my notes, written in the year 1666, that Richard\nChaplain and his father George, both of them merchants in Haddington,\ncoming home late from Edinburgh upon a Saturday night, being the\n4th of November 1666, and riding off the muir at a place called the\nTwo-mile-cross, within two miles of their own home, saw four men in\ngrey clothes, and blue bonnets, standing round about a dead corpse,\nlying swaddled in a winding sheet. Their dog was so feared, that he\ndurst not go forward, but came running back among their horses feet.\nThe one brother is yet living, a sober and christian man, who can\nattest this. If I have varied, it is only in some small circumstance,\nwhich doth not alter the thing itself. It is the more remarkable,\nbecause it was about twenty days before Rullian Green.\n\nThere was one Alice Duke, an English woman, that was taken anno 1664,\nand confessed before the judges, that after their meetings, all the\nwitches make very low obeisance to the devil, who appeared in black\nclothes, and a little band. He bids them welcome at their coming, and\nbrings them wine, beer, cakes, and meal, or the like. He sits at the\nhigher end, and usually Anne Bishop sits next him; they eat, drink,\ndance, and have music. At their parting they used to say, \u201cMerry met,\nmerry part.\u201d And that before they are carried to their meetings,\ntheir foreheads are anointed with greenish oil, that they have from\nthe devil: They for the most part, are carried in the air. As they\npass, they say, \u201cThout, tout, a tout, tout, throughout and about.\u201d\nPassing back they say, \u201cRentum, tormentum,\u201d and another word which\nshe does not remember.\n\nI read of an old gentleman, an excellent justice of the peace in\nEngland, who did always dispute against the immortality of the soul,\nand its distinction from the body, and of the existence of the\nspirits. No reason could convince him but palpable experience. He\nbeing a bold man, did venture very far, and fearing nothing, used\nall magical ceremonies he could to raise the devil, or a spirit, and\nhad a most earnest desire to meet with one, but never could do it.\nBut while his servant was one night drawing off his boots in the\nhall, some invisible hand gave him such a clap upon the back, that it\nmade the hall ring again. He immediately went to the field, to try\nif any spirit had called him to converse with him; but found none.\nWhen neither rhyme nor reason could persuade him that there were\nspirits, says the gentleman that debated with him, \u201cWell, well, do\nyou remember the clap you received upon your back one night?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nsaid he. \u201cAssure yourself,\u201d said the other, \u201cthat goblin will be the\nfirst that will welcome you into the other world.\u201d Upon this his\ncountenance changed most sensibly, and was more confounded with this\nthan with all the philosophical or rational arguments that could have\nbeen brought against him.\n\nThere was one Julian Cox, an English woman, apprehended for\nwitchcraft. The first that deponed against her was a huntsman, who\nswore, That he was going out with a pack of hounds to hunt a hare.\nDid start one not far from Julian Cox her house. The dogs hunted\nher very close, and the third ring haunted her in vie, till at last\nthe huntsman perceiving the hare almost spent, and making towards\na great bush, he ran on the other side of the bush to take her up,\nand preserve her from the dogs. But as soon as he laid hands on her,\nit proved to be Julian Cox, who had her hands grovelling on the\nground, and her globs (as he exprest it) upward. He knowing her, was\nso frighted, that his hair in his head stood on end. She was out\nof breath, so that she could not speak. The dogs came up and smelt\nher, but did no more. The narrative, saith my author, hath the most\nauthentic confirmation that human affairs are capable of, sense, and\nthe sacredness of an oath.\n\n\n\n\nXXX.\u2014_Anent one Spalding in Dalkeith._\n\n\nAbout the time that the Earl of Traquair was his late Majesty\u2019s\ncommissioner in Scotland, it happened at Dalkeith, where he resided,\nthat one Spalding, a town\u2019s man, killed his neighbour, one Sadler.\nThe murderer fled, and absented himself for a year and more; yet\nsometimes came home in the night-time, finding that no man pursued\nhim. After he had been wearied of this way of living, he resolved\nto cast himself on the commissioner\u2019s mercy. He coming one day\nnear to the town of Dalkeith in a coach, Spalding came in a most\nhumble manner, and prostrate himself before him, and begged mercy.\nThe commissioner inquired what the business was? The servants told\nhim, he was such a man that had killed his neighbour a town\u2019s man.\nThereupon he appointed him to be conveyed to prison, where he lay for\na year and more. At last an assize found him guilty, and appointed\nhim to be hanged. When he heard his sentence, he cried out, \u201cOh! must\nI die like a dog! why was I not sentenced to lose my head?\u201d After he\ncame to the scaffold, and prayer was ended, he goes up the ladder,\nand the rope being put about his neck, he cries with a loud voice\nin the audience of all, \u201cLord (says he) let never this soul of mine\ndepart from this body, till it be reconciled with thee.\u201d And having\nsaid this, the executioner threw him off the ladder. When he had hung\nthe ordinary time, sufficient to take away a man\u2019s life, he was cut\ndown, and his body put into a bier, and carried to the tolbooth to\nbe woon. When they had opened the lid of the bier, the man bangs up\nupon his bottom, and his eyes staring in his head, and foaming at the\nmouth, he made a noise, and roared like a bull, striking about him\nwith his fists, to the great consternation of all. The magistrates\nhearing of it, gave orders that he should be strangled better. The\nexecutioner fell to work, and putting the rope about his neck,\nstood upon his breast and strained his neck so hard, that it was no\nbigger about than his wrist. And he continuing after this manner for\na sufficient time, was carried to the grave, and covered with earth.\nNotwithstanding of all this, he made such a rumbling and tumbling in\nit, that the very earth was raised, and the mules were so heaved up,\nthat they could hardly keep them down. After this, his house at the\neast end of the town (as I am informed) was frequented with a ghost,\nwhich made it stand empty for a long time. Whether any have dwelt in\nit since, I know not. This I have from a very creditable person, who,\nbeing a scholar there at that time, was an eye and ear witness, who\nis yet alive.\n\n\n\n\nXXXI.\u2014_Of the Devil of Mascon in France._\n\n\nAnno 1612, one Monsieur Perreaud, a Protestant minister there, being\nfrom his own house one night, and his wife being in bed, she was much\ntroubled with noise and din in the house: the next night she felt\nsomewhat that pulled the blankets from the bed, and the same night\nall the pewter vessels and brass candlesticks were thrown about the\nroom. The minister coming home, was told this, who carefully searched\nevery corner of the house before he went to bed, and secured all the\ndoors and windows, to prevent suspicion of imposture. He was scarce\nwell in bed, when he heard a strange noise in the kitchen, like\nthe rolling of a great iron bullet, beating against a partition of\nwainscot; upon this the minister went to the room, but found nothing.\nThe next morning he made it known to the elders of the church, and\na public notary, one Francis Torneus, who sat up every night till\nmidnight, but they heard nothing till September 20; at which time,\nabout nine o\u2019clock at night, in the presence of all who were there,\nthe devil began to whistle three or four times with a loud and shrill\nvoice, (though somewhat hoarse) which seemed to be about three or\nfour steps from them, singing a little tune of five notes, which\nbirds are taught to whistle; and after he often repeated this word,\n\u201cMinister, minister;\u201d to which Mr. Perreaud said, \u201cYes, indeed I am\na minister, and a servant of the living God, before whose Majesty\nthou tremblest.\u201d Said the other, \u201cI know nothing to the contrary.\u201d\n\u201cI have no need of thy testimony,\u201d says he. This being done, he\nsays over with a loud voice, the Lord\u2019s prayer, the creed, the ten\ncommandments, and the morning and evening prayers, and sings the\neightieth and first Psalm. He told the minister, that his father\nhad been poisoned, and named the man that did it. He told him, that\nas he came by his elder brother\u2019s house that night, he saluted him,\nand asked, If he had any service to command him with to Mascon to\nhis brother? and told, they were very kind to him, and remembered\ntheir love to the minister. It was told him afterwards by those who\nwere present, that a fellow of strange shape came riding on a very\nlean horse, hanging down his head, spake to that purpose. At another\ntime the devil began to mock God, and all religion, and said over\nthe doxology, but skipped over the second person, and made a foul,\nhorrible, and detestable equivocation upon the third person. He also\nearnestly desired them to send for Mr. Du Chaffin, the Popish priest\nof St. Steven\u2019s parish, to whom he would confess himself; and withal\nhe desired him to bring some holy water along with him; for that,\nsaid he, he will presently send me a packing. That great mastiff,\nsaid he, dare not bark at me, (this was a great house-dog) because\nI have made the sign of the cross upon his head.\u2014Then he fell a\nscoffing and jeering, and told how he did fall off the ladder into\nthe ditch among the frogs, while the Savoys were scaling the walls of\nGeneva, and did most exactly imitate their croaking. At another time,\nhe told them, with a lamentable voice, That he had a mind to make his\nlatter will and testament, and bid the maid call for Mr. Tornus the\npublic notary, and declared to him what legacies he would leave; and\nto one person he said, he would bequeath 500l.; but he answered, \u201cI\nwill have none of thy money, thy money perish with thee.\u201d\u2014At another\ntime, while he was speaking, a man who was present rushed into the\nplace whence the voice seemed to come, and searched it strictly, but\nfound nothing except a small bottle, which he brought forth; at which\nthe devil fell a laughing, and said to him, \u201cI was told long since\nthou wast a fool; and I see now thou art one, indeed, to believe that\nI am in the bottle; I should be a greater fool myself to go into\nit, for so I might be catched by stopping the mouth of the bottle\nwith one\u2019s finger.\u201d\u2014At another time, the minister said to him, \u201cGo\nthou cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his\nangels.\u201d To whom he replied, \u201cThou liest, I am not cursed; I hope yet\nfor salvation through the death and passion of Jesus Christ.\u201d\n\nThe devil threatened the minister, that he would pull him out of\nhis bed by his feet, and pull the blankets off him. He answered, \u201cI\nwill lay me down and sleep, for the Lord only maketh me to dwell in\nsafety; thou canst have no power over me, but what is given thee\nfrom above. Whereupon he said, \u201cIt is well for thee, it is good for\nthee.\u201d And at last he confessed, that he could not prevail against\nthe family, because they did too much call on the name of God. And\nindeed it was observed, that as often as they kneeled down to prayer,\nthe devil left talking, and often said, \u201cWhile you are at your\nprayers, I\u2019ll go and take a turn in the street. But no sooner was\nprayer ended, but he began as before, which course he continued till\nthe 25th of November; at which time he spake these last words, \u201cAlas,\nalas, I shall speak no more.\u201d\u2014The minister told Mr. Du Moulin, that\na grave divine once coming to his house, and hearing the devil speak\nprofanely, rebuked him sharply for it. Whereupon the devil answered,\n\u201cMinister, you are holy and zealous in this company, but you were\nnot so when you were singing such a bawdy song in such a tavern.\u201d\nAnd having said this; he sung the same bawdy song over before them\nall. The divine said, \u201cIt is true, Satan, I have been licentious in\nmy younger years, yet God of his mercy hath given me repentance and\npardon for it; but for thy part, thou art hardened in sin, and shall\nnever get repentance nor pardon.\u201d On this the devil said, \u201cO poor\nHugonets, (those of the reformed religion) you shall suffer much\nwithin a few years. O what mischief is intended against you!\u201d\n\nA popish officer that belonged to a court of justice, being a lawyer,\ncame out of curiosity to the minister\u2019s house, to ask some questions\nconcerning many matters. The minister forbade him, but he would not\nforbear. And after the devil had resolved him many things, anent\nabsent friends, private business, news, and state affairs, and\nquestions in law, he says to him, \u201cNow, Sir, I have told you all you\ndemanded; I must tell you next what you demanded not, that at this\nvery same time such a man (whom he named) is taking a word of your\nwife at home.\u201d And then he discovered many secrets and foul practices\nof the lawyer. And at last says, \u201cNow, Sir, let me correct you for\nbeing so bold as to question with the devil: you should have taken\nthe minister\u2019s counsel.\u201d Then upon a sudden the whole company saw the\nlawyer drawn by the arm into the midst of the room, where the devil\nwhirled him about, and gave him many turns with great swiftness,\ntouching the ground only with his toe, and then threw him down upon\nthe floor with great violence; and being taken up, and carried to\nhis house, he lay sick, and was a long time distracted.\u2014The last ten\nor twelve days the devil threw stones about the minister\u2019s house\ncontinually, from morning to evening, and of so large a size, some of\nthem being of two or three pound weight. One of those days the public\nnotary Mr. Tornus, had a great stone thrown at him, which falling\nat his feet, he took it up and marked it with a coal, and threw it\ninto the backside of the house, but presently the devil threw it at\nhim again; when he took it up, he found it very hot, thinking it had\nbeen in hell since he handled it last. The next day, upon the 22d of\nDecember, the devil went quiet away; and to-morrow after, was seen a\ngreat viper going out of the minister\u2019s house, which the neighbours\nabout seized with a pair of pinchers, and carried it all over the\ntown crying, \u201cHere is the devil that\u2019s come out of the minister\u2019s\nhouse.\u201d It was found by an apothecary to be a true natural viper,\na serpent rarely seen in those countries. Compare this with the\ntwentieth and first relation, and you will find a notable proof of\nthe wonderful kindness and mercy of God to those religious ministers\nand their families.\n\n\n\n\nXXXII.\u2014_Anent Margaret Wilson._\n\n\nThis is a true narrative of what happened to her one night, while\nsome persons were attending her: for what passed other nights I\ncannot relate, since I want information. They say the gentleman, her\nuncle, in the parish of Gallashiels, came on Sunday after sermon to\nthe minister there, Mr. Wilkie, and told him, that the devil was at\nhis house; \u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cthere is an odd knocking about the bed\nwhere my niece lies.\u201d Whereupon the minister went along with him,\nand found it so; she rising from her bed, sat down to supper, and\nfrom below there was such a knocking up, as bred fear to all present.\nThis knocking was just under her chair, where it was not possible\nfor any mortal to knock up. Supper being ended, they went all to\nprayer; and rising from her place, went and kneeled down in another\nplace, and there also a knocking was heard below her, even during\nthe time of prayer. When she was put to bed, many persons attending,\nshe fell into a deep sleep; then her body was so lifted up, that\nmany strong men were not able to keep it down. Sometimes her body\nwould have made such a motion in the bed, as if something had been\ngripping her by the feet, and pulling her up and down. In the mean\nwhile, they heard a loud noise scratching upon the feather-bed, as\nwith long nails. And likewise the minister affirms, that he heard\na loud risping at her heart, such as risping irons make upon wood\nand timber. When she awaked, she told them of many things the devil\nhad spoken to her, offering her gifts and presents: she was hardly\npersuaded to pray; nay could not, even when the words were put in her\nmouth. The minister desired her to enter into a personal covenant\nwith God, which he drew up; but finding one composed already to his\nhand, in that little treatise called the Christian\u2019s Great Interest,\nhe made her subscribe it. When she had done this, the devil persuaded\nher with many arguments to break it. This was the method the devil\nobserved ordinarily every night, during her long trouble. That same\nnight about twelve o\u2019clock, the minister took her uncle out to his\nown garden, to take a turn or two, and began to bear upon him, the\nsense of this sore affliction which was upon the family; and exhorted\nhim to reflect upon his ways, and consider if he had done any thing\nthat had provoked the Lord against him; and particularly he charged\nhim with one thing, whereof there was a loud report. He solemnly\nprotested, and that with dreadful imprecations, that he was innocent\nof that particular which was said of him, and absolutely denied it.\nShe confessed that she had seen the devil as in a man\u2019s likeness; but\nespecially once going to church, when he forbade her to go and hear\nsermon. After much trouble of this kind, and much noise and talking,\nthe young woman, being but 12 years of age, came to Edinburgh, and\ntarried with a friend there; and from thence she went to Leith, where\nshe served a mistress. At last she went to Easter Duddingston, it\nseems, and married there a husband, with whom she lived some years\nat Magdalen Pans, where she died. I do not hear that ever she was\nmolested after. If all the particulars of this business were truly\ncollected, they would amount to a far longer relation than I have set\ndown.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIII.\u2014_A short information anent Janet Douglas._\n\n\nWhen I was at Glasgow in summer 1675, I was desirous to see the dumb\ngirl, whom you mention in your first relation. At my first incoming,\nshe declined to entertain discourse, but by friendly expressions,\nand giving her some money, I gained her. I first enquired anent her\nparentage. \u201cI do not remember,\u201d says she, \u201cof my parents, but only\nthat I was called by the name of Janet Douglas by all people who\nknew me. I was keeped when I was very young, by a poor woman that\nproved cruel to me, by beating and abusing me; whereupon I deserted\nthe woman\u2019s house, and went a begging.\u201d I inquired next how she\nbecame dumb. She told me, by reason of a sore swelling she took in\nher throat and tongue; but afterwards by the application of Album\nGr\u00e6cum, \u201cwhich I thought,\u201d said she, \u201cwas revealed to me, I recovered\nmy speech.\u201d \u201cI asked her, how she came to the knowledge of witches\nand their practices. She answered, That she had it only by a vision,\nand knew all things as well as if she had been personally present\nwith them; but had no revelation or information from the voice of any\nspirit; nor had she any communication with the devil, or any spirit\nof that kind; only,\u201d says she, \u201cthe devil was represented to me, when\nhe was in company with any of the witches, in that same shape and\nhabit he was seen by them.\u201d\u2014She told me, she was altogether ignorant\nof the principles of religion, but had some smattering knowledge of\nthe Lord\u2019s prayer, which she had heard the witches repeat, it seems,\nby her vision, in presence of the devil; and at his desire, which\nshe observed, they added to the word _art_, the letter _w_, which\nmade it run, \u201cOur Father which wart in heaven;\u201d and made the third\npetition thus, \u201cAs on earth so it may in heaven;\u201d by which means the\ndevil made the application of the prayer to himself.\u2014\u2014I remember,\nthat one day there was a woman in the town who had the curiosity\nto give her a visit, who asked her, How she came to the knowledge\nof so many things? But the young wench shifted her, by asking the\nwoman\u2019s name. She told her name. Says the other, \u201cAre there any other\nin Glasgow of that name?\u201d No, says the woman. Then, said the girl,\n\u201cYou are a witch.\u201d Says the other, \u201cThen you are a devil.\u201d The girl\nanswers, \u201cThe devil doth not reveal witches; but I know you to be\none, and I know your practices too.\u201d Hereupon the woman run away in\ngreat confusion, being indeed a person suspected of witchcraft, and\nhad been sometimes imprisoned on that account.\u2014Another woman, whose\nname was Campbell, had the curiosity likewise to come and see her,\nand began to ask some questions at her. The wench shifting to give\nher an answer, says, \u201cI pray you tell me where you were yesternight,\nand what you were doing? And withall,\u201d says she, \u201clet me see your\narm.\u201d She refusing, the landlord laid hold upon the woman, with some\nothers in the house, and forced her to make bare her arm, where Janet\nDouglas shewed them an invisible mark, which she had gotten from the\ndevil. The poor woman, much ashamed, ran home. A little time after,\nshe came out and told her neighbours, that what Janet Douglas said of\nher was true; and earnestly entreated them that they would shew so\nmuch to the magistrates, that she might be apprehended, \u201cotherwise\nthe devil,\u201d says she, \u201cwill make me kill myself.\u201d But the neighbours\njudging her to be under a fit of distraction, carried her home to\nher house; but early next morning the woman was found drowned in\nClyde.\u2014The girl likewise told me at Glasgow, being then under no\nrestraint, that it was revealed to her she would be carried before\nthe great council at Edinburgh, imprisoned there, and scourged\nthrough the town. All which came to pass.\u2014For about a year after,\nshe was apprehended and imprisoned in the tolbooth of the Canongate,\nand was brought before the council, but nothing being found against\nher, she was dismissed; but thereafter, for several crimes committed\nwithin the town of Edinburgh, she was taken again, and imprisoned,\nscourged, and sent away to some foreign plantation; since which time\nI have not heard of her.\u2014\u2014There are several other remarkable passages\nconcerning her, which I cannot inform you of, which others perhaps\nmay do; therefore I shall abruptly break off, and say no more, but\nthat I am your affectionate friend. This information I have from\na discreet understanding gentleman, who was one of my scholars at\nGlasgow several years ago.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIV.\u2014_Touching Helen Elliot, burnt at Culross._\n\n\n  FOR MR. SINCLAIR.      _Edin. Oct. 8. 1684._\n\nSir, I cannot but much approve of your design in publishing \u201cSatan\u2019s\ninvisible world discovered,\u201d especially at this time, when there are\nso many that deny the existence of devils, spirits, and witches, and\nwill credit nothing but what they see with their eyes. I shall inform\nyou of three remarkable stories, which may be attested by famous\nwitnesses, many of which are yet living.\u2014\u2014I had the curiosity, when I\nwas a scholar, to pass over from Borrowstounness to Culross, to see a\nnotable witch burnt. She was carried to the place of execution in a\nchair by four men, by reason her legs and her belly were broken, by\none of the devil\u2019s cunning tricks which he played her. This woman was\nwatched one night in the steeple of Culross by two men, John Shank,\na flesher, and one John Drummond; who being weary, went to another\nroom, where there was a fire, to take a pipe. But to secure her,\nthey put her feet in the stocks, and locked them as well as might\nbe. But no sooner were they gone out of the room, but the devil came\ninto the prison, and told her he was obliged to deliver her from the\nshame she was like to suffer for his sake; and accordingly took her\nout of the stocks, and embracing her, carried her out of the prison;\nat which she being terrified, made this exclamation by the way, \u201cO\nGod, whither art thou taking me?\u201d At which words he let her fall, at\nthe distance from the steeple, about the breadth of the street of\nEdinburgh, where she broke her legs and belly. I saw the impression\nand dimple of her heels, as many thousands did, which continued for\nsix or seven years; upon which place no grass would ever grow. At\nlast there was a stone-dike built upon the place.\u2014My second relation\nshall be of some witches at Borrowstounness, which were the occasion\nof much inquiry after them there. Anno 1644, a certain woman in the\ntown came about eight o\u2019clock in the morning into her neighbour\u2019s\nhouse, after a most furious manner, and assaulted her, by scratching\nher face, and pulling the hair out of her head, saying, \u201cThou\ntraitor thief, thou thought to have destroyed my son this morning,\nbut it was not in thy power.\u201d The ship wherein the young man was\na sailor, had been under a dreadful tempest off and on St. Abb\u2019s\nHead, that morning; with the violence of a sea, which came in upon\nthe deck, he was cast over board on one side of the ship, and, to\nthe admiration of all, he was cast upon deck again, upon the other\nside, without harm. This marvellous business being reported about\neight o\u2019clock by the mariners, when they came a-shore, and being\ncompared with what the one woman said to the other that morning, both\nof them were apprehended, and, after their confession, were both\nburnt, many hundreds being spectators, whereof I was one.\u2014The last,\nwhich is more remarkable, shall be anent the wife of one Goodall,\na cooper in the parish of Carron. This woman was about thirty-two\nor thirty-three years of age, a most beautiful and comely person as\nwas in the country about. She was often filed and delated by many\nwho had been burnt. They told, that amongst them all, she was the\nperson whom the devil at their meetings did most court and embrace,\ncalling her constantly, \u201cMy dear mistress,\u201d setting her always at his\nright hand, to the great discontent of his old hags, whom, as they\nconceived, he now slighted. She was apprehended, and committed to\nprison. At this time there was one James Fleming, a master of a ship\nthere, a person of great courage, strength, and resolution, who had\nit insinuate to him by her, when he was exhorting her to confess,\nthat in respect she understood he was to be upon her watch the next\nnight, if she got no deliverance as she expected before one o\u2019clock\nin the morning, she would lay her heart open to him before others.\nAt which he being apprehensive of what might fall out, as indeed he\nhad reason, went to his uncle, a grave and experienced person, who\nadvised him to take all his ships company, to the number of fourteen\nable men, and keep watch, not forgetting the reading of scripture,\nand earnest prayer to God. The night was still and calm, like a\nsummer\u2019s night, without the least appearance of change, when upon a\nsudden at midnight, as James Fleming himself was discoursing to her,\nand again, as the custom was, holding her by the hand, I say, upon\na sudden, a terrible tempest, like a hurricane, came on, which took\nthe roof from the house, to their great consternation; and a voice\nwas heard three times, calling her by a strange name to come away; at\nwhich time she made three several leaps upward, increasing gradually,\ntill her feet were as high as his breast. But he held her by both the\narms, and (as he used to say, when he spoke of it), he be-teached\nhimself strongly and earnestly to God, though with great amazement,\nhis hair standing widdershins in his head. And after the third call,\nhe prevailed against the greatest effort which ever he felt, and\nthrew her on the ground, she grovelling and foaming like one having\nthe falling sickness, where she fell into a profound sleep, for the\nspace of two or three hours. When she awakened, she declaimed most\nbitterly against the devil\u2019s treachery and perfidiousness, who had\npromised to carry her to Ireland before four o\u2019clock in the morning,\nand to touch at Paisley, where she might see her sister in passing.\nShe made a free and full confession, and delated many women, some\nof them of good repute, who afterwards confessed and died also. The\nauthor of this letter is a person of great honesty and sincerity.\nFrom the first relation of his, we have an evident instance, that\nthe devil can transport the bodies of men and women through the air.\n\u2019Tis true, he did not carry her far off, but not for want of skill\nand power. Neither was he afraid to hear the name of God spoken; but\nproposing to destroy both the soul and body of the poor creature,\nhe has pretended so much to excuse himself at her hand.\u2014\u2014The first\nstory brings me in mind of one Creek, a witch put in prison in the\nsteeple of Culross, to whom several years ago Mr. Alexander Colvil,\njustice-depute, came, a gentleman of great sagacity and knowledge as\nto witches. He asked if she was a witch? She denied. \u201cDare you hold\nup your hand and swear that you are not a witch!\u201d \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d said\nshe. But behold what a remarkable judgment of God came upon her!\nWhile she was swearing, with her arm lifted up, it become as stiff as\na tree, that she could not pull it in again, to the amazement of all\nthat were present. One person yet living there was a witness, and can\nattest this. The gentleman, seeing the vengeance of God upon her for\nher wickedness, falls down presently upon his knees, and entreated\nthe Lord on her behalf, who was graciously pleased to hear him.\u2014Some\nare of opinion, that the devil cannot raise winds and storms upon the\nsea and land. This is evident from the last relation in the letter,\nwhich puts me in mind of a terrible tempest in the Firth, that day\nwhen Bessie Fowler was burnt at Musselburgh, in May 16. The devil\npromised to her, that she should not die at that time; whereupon she\nlooking out at the prison window, spake very confidently to the folk\nbelow, \u201cYou think to see me burnt the day, but you will be deceived.\u201d\nThe hurricane did so prevail, that in effect every body suspected\nthat she should not have died that day. The morning and the forenoon\nwere very calm.\n\n\n\n\nXXXV.\u2014_Anent some Prayers, Charms, and Aves, used in the Highlands._\n\n\nIn the time of ignorance and superstition, when the darkness of\nPaganism was not dispelled by the gospel-light, spirits kept a more\nfamiliar converse with families; and even in the time of Popery, what\nwas more frequent in houses than brownies, whom they employed in many\nservices. It were unreasonable and ridiculous to rehearse all the\nstories which have been told of Brownies and Fairies, commonly called\nour good neighbours: how there was a king and queen of fairies, of\nsuch a court and train as they had; and how they had the tein and\nduty, as it were, of all corns, flesh and meal; how they rode, and\nwent along the sides of hills, all in green apparel. I verily believe\nmany have seen such spectres. But what were they? nothing but the\ndelusion of the senses of sundry people, whom the devil made believe\nthey did see and hear such things. Brownie was a spirit that haunted\ndivers houses familiarly, without doing any evil, but doing necessary\nturns up and down the house, and frequently was found working in\nthe barn, threshing the corn in the night-time, who appeared like\na rough hairy man. Such then, was the ignorance of many, that they\nbelieved their house was all the sonsier that Brownie was about it,\nas King James says in his Demonology.\u2014I will not speak of ridiculous\nfriets, such as our meeting with a lucky or unlucky foot, when we\nare going about important business; these unquestionably are the\ndevil\u2019s lessons for the most part, and denying of God\u2019s providence.\nThe practice of the Heathen was to attribute good or evil luck to\nthe slaying of birds, as Virgil says, \u201cS\u00e6pe sinister cava pr\u00e6dixit\nab illice cornix.\u201d\u2014Whether there be any magic in the practice of\nsome young women too curious, who, upon Hallowe\u2019n, go to bed without\nspeaking to any, having first eaten a cake made of soot, and dreaming\nthey see in their sleep the man that shall be their husband, I shall\nnot determine; but it looks like a very bad practice. I heard of a\nwoman who dipped her smock in south-running water, on that night, and\nhanged it up before the fire to dry. One comes in the likeness of the\nman who was to be her husband, and turns it, and went immediately to\nthe bed, where she was attending the event, and kissed her. It seems\nshe did not believe it was the devil. To speak of the second sight I\ncannot, till fuller information be given. I am undoubtedly informed,\nthat men and women in the Highlands can discern fatality approaching\nothers, by seeing them in waters, or with winding sheets about them;\nand that others can lecture in a sheep\u2019s shoulder-bone a death within\nthe parish seven or eight days before it come. It is not improbable,\nbut that such preternatural knowledge comes first by a compact with\nthe devil, and is derived downward by succession to their posterity;\nmany of which I suppose are innocent, and have this sight against\ntheir will and inclination.\n\nCharms and spells have been first taught to men and women in\nconfederacy with the devil, many of which are received by tradition,\nand used by witches, and ignorant persons too. The virtue of curing\nmust be from the devil\u2019s active invisible application of them to\nsuch or such a disease, as the curing of an universal gout by this\nunintelligible charm.\n\n\u201cEtter sheen etter sack, et ta leur etta pachk, wiper sicaan\ncasemitter in shi, so leish en shi corne, orn heip twa till one\neurcht mach a mainshore.\u201d\n\nThere is in some part of Galloway a charm for curing a disease called\nthe Ling, in these words, \u201cCatheri, Dumi, Chini, Brini.\u201d Another\nthere is which some use for effectuating that which others do by\ncasting three knots, \u201cfar si far, fa sar fay u, far four na forty\nkay u, mack straik it a pain four hung creig weil mack smeoran bun\nbagie.\u201d This language cannot be interpreted.\u2014Besides this, there are\nprayers and aves among the Highlanders, wherein they think there lies\ngreat virtue, as in repeating the Lord\u2019s prayer in Latin thus:\n\n\u201cPaidder nuhter kish in sheali sanctishetter noman du, ta renada, ta\nlanga tu, quidi bonum aicht in dearrich, an dingers, an dangis, a\nnipis a nopis, induraramis indaramis, indittimis indatamis, shechli\nsheclorum. _Amen._\u201d\n\n\nTheir AVE MARY runs thus:\n\n\u201cAve Mari crashi plena du na takamis pendicata tus onte willie\nyeramis, penedicata rucara shendri Esum Christum. _Amen._\u201d\n\nAt night, in the time of Popery, when folks went to bed, they\nbelieved the repetition of the following prayer was effectual to\npreserve them from danger, and the house too.\n\n      \u201cWho sains the house the night?\n    They that sains it ilka night:\n    Saint Bryde and her brate,\n    Saint Colme and his hat,\n    Saint Michael and his spear,\n    Keep this house from the weir;\n    From running thief;\n    And burning thief;\n    And from a\u2019 ill Rea,\n    That be the gate can gae;\n    And from an ill wight,\n    That be the gate can light.\n    Nine reeds about the house;\n    Keep it all the night.\n    What is that, what I see\n    So red, so bright, beyond the sea?\n    \u2019Tis he was pierc\u2019d through the hands,\n    Through the feet, through the throat,\n    Through the tongue;\n    Through the liver and the lung.\n    Well is them that well may\n    Fast on Good-Friday.\u201d\n\nAnother prayer, used by the thieves and robbers on the Borders after\nmeat, in order to stealing from their neighbours.\n\n      \u201cHe that ordain\u2019d us to be born,\n    Send us more meat for the morn,\n    Part of\u2019t right and part of\u2019t wrang:\n    God let us never fast owre lang.\n    God be thanked, and our Lady,\n    All is done that we have ready.\u201d\n\nA country-man in East Lothian used this grace always before and after\nmeat.\n\n      \u201cLord be bless\u2019d for all his gifts,\n    Defy the devil and all his shifts;\n    God sent me mair silver. _Amen._\u201d\n\nAs the devil is originally the author of charms and spells, so is he\nthe author of several bawdy songs which are sung. A reverend minister\ntold me, that one who was the devil\u2019s piper, a wizzard, confessed to\nhim, that at a ball of dancing, the foul spirit taught him a bawdy\nsong, to sing and play, as it were this night, and ere two days\npassed, all the lads and lasses of the town were lilting it through\nthe street. It were an abomination to rehearse it.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVI.\u2014_Anent one Lizzie Muidy at Haddington._\n\n\nThis woman was a servant to Margaret Kirkwood there, a woman of\ngood repute once, who before her death, took some trouble of mind,\nupon what account I shall not determine. She made some insinuation,\nit seems, to some of her friends, that she inclined to put hand on\nherself; whereupon she was attended and waited upon; but had her own\nliberty to retire herself to private prayer; in which exercise she\nwas very frequent. Upon a Sabbath forenoon, when all were at church\nand she at home, none with her save only a servant-maid, she went\ninto some high room or other, as she was wont to do, to her devotion,\nand there, before the maid could know, she hanged herself. In this\nvery moment of time, this Elizabeth Muidy, her old servant, being in\nchurch, was observed to number upon her fingers fifty, or fifty-one,\nwhich number being ended, she cries out, with a loud voice, in\npresence of all, \u201cNow the turn is done.\u201d She was presently taken away\nas a distracted person; and news coming to the church, that such a\nwoman had hanged herself, her old mistress, she was taken away to\nprison; but what her confession was, it is not well known. There are\nmany other things reported, whereof I cannot give an account. This\ntragedy was acted within these few years at Haddington.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVII.\u2014_Anent Major Weir and his Sister._\n\n\nThis man, Thomas Weir, was born at Clydesdale, near to Lanark, who\nhad been a lieutenant in Ireland long since. What way he came to get\nsome public command in the city of Edinburgh, in the years 1649 and\n50, I know not: but it seems he has always been called Major Weir\nsince that time. Many things might be narrated of him, which for\nbrevity\u2019s sake, I cannot meddle with, since I intend only to speak\nof his sorceries, and other things relating thereunto. It seems he\nhad, before he was burnt, some charge over the waiters at the ports\nof the city, being, as it were, a check to them. Coming one day, as\nhis custom was, he found some of them in a cellar, taking a cup of\nale, neglecting their charge. After a gentle reproof, one of them\nreplied, That some of their number being upon duty, the rest had\nretired to drink with their old friend Mr. Burn. At which he started\nback, and casting an eye upon him, repeated the word Burn four or\nfive times: and going home, he never came abroad afterwards, till a\nfew weeks after he had discovered his impieties. It was observed by\nsome, that going to Liberton sometimes, he shunned to step over that\nwater brook, which is ordinarily called Liberton-burn, but went about\nto shun it. Some have conjectured that he had advice to beware of a\nburn, or some other thing which this equivocal word might signify,\nas burn in a fire. If so, he has foreseen his day approaching. A\nyear before he discovered himself, he took a sore sickness; during\nwhich time he spake to all who visited him like an angel, and came\nfrequently abroad again.\u2014\u2014This man taking some dreadful tortures\nof conscience, and the terrors of the Almighty being upon his\nspirit, confessed to several neighbours in his own house, and that\nmost willingly, particular sins which he was guilty of, which bred\namazement to all persons, they coming from a man of so high repute\nfor religion and piety. He ended with this remarkable expression,\n\u201cBefore God, (says he) I have not told you the hundred part of what\nI can say more, and am guilty of.\u201d These very same abominations he\nconfessed before the judges likewise. But after this, he would never,\ntill his dying hour confess any more, which might have been for\nthe glorifying of God, and the edification of others, but remained\nstupid, having no confidence to look any man in the face, or to\nopen his eyes.\u2014When two of the magistrates came to his house in the\nnight-time to carry him to prison, they asked, If he had any money to\nsecure? He answered none. His sister said there was. Whereupon, to\nthe value of five dollars, in parcels here and there, were found in\nseveral clouts. His sister advised the two magistrates to secure his\nstaff especially; for she also went to prison. After he was secured\nin the tolbooth, the bailies returned, and went into a tavern near\nto Weir\u2019s house in the West-bow, a street so called there. The money\nwas put into a bag, and the clouts thrown into the fire, by the\nmaster of the house and his wife; which, after an unusual manner made\na circling and dancing in the fire. There was another clout found\nwith some hard thing it, which they threw into the fire likewise; it\nbeing a certain root, which circled and sparkled like gun-powder,\nand passing from the tunnel of the chimney, it gave a crack like a\nlittle cannon, to the amazement of all that were present.\u2014The money\naforesaid was taken by one of the bailies to his own house, and laid\nby in his closet. After family-prayer was ended, he retired into the\nsame closet, (where I have been) during which time his wife, who\nis yet living, and the rest of the family, were affrighted with a\nterrible noise within the study, like the falling of a house, about\nthree times together. His wife knocking, gave a fearful cry, \u201cMy\ndear, are you alive?\u201d The bailie came out unafraid, having (as he\nsaid) heard nothing; whether he concealed this upon the account his\nwife was with child, or otherwise, it cannot be well known. The money\nwas presently sent away to another bailie\u2019s house, a great distance\nfrom Weir\u2019s; where, as was reported, there was some disturbance, but\nin broken expressions.\n\nDuring the time of his imprisonment, he was never willing to be\nspoken to; and when the ministers of the city offered to pray\nfor him, he would cry out in fury, \u201cTorment me no more, for I am\ntormented already.\u201d One minister (now asleep) asking him, If he\nshould pray for him? was answered, Not at all. The other replied,\nin a kind of holy anger, \u201cSir, I will pray for you in spite of your\nteeth, and the devil your master too,\u201d who did pray, making him at\nleast to hear him; but the other staring wildly, was senseless as\na brute. Another, who is likewise at rest, demanded, if he thought\nthere was a God; said the man, I know not. That other replied\nsmartly, \u201cO man, the argument that moveth me to think there is a God,\nis thyself; for what else moveth thee to inform the world of thy\nwicked life?\u201d But Weir answered, Let me alone. When he peremptorily\nforbade one of his own parish ministers, (yet alive) to pray, one\ndemanded, if he would have any of the presbyterian persuasion to\npray, he answered, \u201cSir, you are all alike to me.\u201d Then said the\nminister to him, \u201cI will pray with you.\u201d \u201cDo it not,\u201d said the other,\n\u201cupon your peril;\u201d looking up to the beams of the house. But prayer\nwas offered up so much the more heartily, because the company about\nexpected some vision. It is observable, that in things common he\nwas pertinent enough; but when any thing about Almighty God, and\nhis soul\u2019s condition, came about, he would shrug, and rub his coat\nand breast, saying to them, \u201cTorment me not before the time.\u201d When\nhe was at the stake to be burnt, the city ministers called to a\nchurchman there looking on, being one of that persuasion whereof\nWeir was formerly deemed to be, to speak to him; but no sooner had\nhe opened his mouth, than he made a sign with his head to be silent.\nWhen the rope was about his neck to prepare him for the fire, he was\nbid say, Lord be merciful to me; but he answered, \u201cLet me alone, I\nwill not; I have lived as a beast, and I must die as a beast.\u201d The\nfire being kindled, both he and his staff, a little after, fell into\nthe flames. Whatever incantation was in his staff, is not for me to\ndiscuss. He could not officiate in any holy duty, without his rod\nin his hand, and leaning upon it, which made those who heard him\npray, admire his fluency in prayer. Its falling into the fire with\nhim, (let others search out the disparity) minds me of this passage.\nIn Zetland a few years ago, a judge having condemned an old woman\nand her daughter, called Helen Stewart, for witchcraft, sent them\nto be burned. The main was so stupid, that she was thought to be\npossessed. When she had hung some little time on the gibbet, a black\npitchy-like ball foamed out of her mouth; and after the fire was\nkindled, it grew to the bigness of a walnut, and then flew up like\nsquibs into the air, which the judge, yet living, attests. It was\ntaken to be a visible sign, that the devil was gone out of her. I\nshall not make application of this as to Mr. Weir\u2019s staff.\u2014\u2014I know\nfrom good hands, that if this man repented of any thing in prison,\nit was for causing a poor maid to be scourged, who affirmed, she had\nseen him commit bestiality going to Newmills to a solemn meeting.\nThis poor woman lived about two years after his death, and heard of\nhis fatal end. His incest with his own sister, was first when she\nwas a young maid. The place where this abomination was committed,\nwas cursed; for, contrary to nature, it remained always bare without\ngrass. A reverend minister told me, (I mention this as from myself,\nnot from the author of the letter) that Major Weir confessed so much\nto him, and told him, that the place lies off the road-way between\nKirkcaldy and Kinghorn, upon a little hill-side; which he had the\ncuriosity to go and see, and found it so. This was done the matter of\nfifty years ago. Many other things he confessed, which Christian ears\nshould not be defiled with.\u2014Before I come to his sister, take this\nnotable remark from two persons yet alive, dwelling at the foot of\nthe West-Bow, at the head whereof dwelt Major Weir. This gentlewoman,\na substantial merchant\u2019s wife, was very desirous to hear him pray,\nmuch being spoken of his utterance; and for that end spoke to some of\nher neighbours, that when he came to their house, she might be sent\nfor. This was done, but he could never be persuaded to open his mouth\nbefore her; no, not to bless a cup of ale; he either remained mute,\nor up with his staff and away. It troubled her then; but I suppose\nboth her husband and she smiles at it now.\n\nSome few days before he discovered himself, this gentlewoman coming\nfrom the Castle-hill, where her husband\u2019s niece was lying-in of a\nchild, about midnight, perceived, about the Bow-head, three women\nin windows, shouting, laughing, and clapping their hands. The\ngentlewoman went forward, till, just at Major Weir\u2019s door, there\narose, as from the street, a woman about the length of two ordinary\nfemales, and stepped forward. The gentlewoman, not as yet excessively\nfeared, bid her maid step on, if, by the lanthorn, they could see\nwhat she was; but haste what they could, this long-legged spectre was\nstill before them, moving her body with a vehement cachinnation, and\ngreat unmeasurable laughter. At this rate the two strove for place,\ntill the giantess came to a narrow lane in the Bow, commonly called\nthe stinking-close, into which she turning, and the gentlewoman\nlooking after her, perceived the close full of flaming torches,\n(she could give them no other name,) and as it had been a great\nmultitude of people, stentoriously laughing and gaping with tehees\nof laughter. This sight, at so dead a time of the night, no people\nbeing in the windows belonging to the close, made her and her servant\nhaste home, declaring all what they saw to the rest of the family;\nbut more passionately to her husband. And though sick with fear, yet\nshe went the next morning with her maid, to view the noted places of\nher former night\u2019s walk, and at the close inquired who lived there?\nIt was answered, Major Weir. The honest couple now rejoiced, that to\nWeir\u2019s devotion they never said, Amen. I know there are some, who\nstrenuously assert the unreasonableness of believing such visions\nand apparitions; but you have made them sufficiently evident from\nyour relation foregoing. These, in all probability, have been a\npresage of his approaching death, and of the manner of it, links\nand torches signifying an honourable interment, which perhaps had\nbeen promised to him. There was one minister in the city, that could\nnever be persuaded to speak with him in prison; but no sooner was he\ndead, than he went to the tolbooth, and called for his sister, who\nhad some remorse; of whom I shall now speak. He told her, that her\nbrother was burnt, and how he died, (though he saw him not executed)\nas I heard from himself. She believed nothing of it; but after many\nattestations, he asked, where his staff was? for, it seems, she knew\nthat his strength and life lay therein. He told her, it was burnt\nwith him. Whereupon, notwithstanding of her age, she nimbly, and in\na furious rage, fell on her knees, uttering words horrible to be\nremembered. And in rising up, as she was desired, her raging agony\nclosed with these words, \u201cO Sir, I know he is with the devils; for\nwith them he lived.\u201d She entreated that minister to assist her,\nand attend her to her death, which, at her violent importunity, he\nyielded unto, though it was not his course to wait upon condemned\npersons. What she said in private to himself, he says, must die with\nhim. She avouched, that from her being sixteen years of age, to\nher fiftieth, her brother had the incestuous use of her, and then\nloathed her for her age. She was pretty old at this time; and he,\nwhen he died, was about seventy. He asked her, If ever she was with\nchild to him? She declared, with great confidence, he hindered that\nby means abominable: which, she beginning to relate, the minister\nstopped her. Some bystanders were desirous to hear the rest; but says\nhe, \u201cGentlemen, the speculation of this iniquity is in itself to be\npunished.\u201d\u2014In often and returned visits, she was interrogated, If she\nhad any hand in her brother\u2019s devilry? She declared but in a passive\nway; and gave this for an instance: A fiery chariot or coach, as she\ncalled it, coming to his door, at broad day, a stranger invied him\nand her to go and visit a friend in Dalkeith, a small town about six\nmiles from Edinburgh. They both entered, and went forward in their\nvisit; at which time (says she) one came and whispered something\nin his ear, which affected him. They both returned after the same\nmanner that they had gone out. And Weir going after to make some\nvisits, told them he had strong apprehensions, that that day the\nKing\u2019s forces were routed at Worcester; which, within a few days,\nwas confirmed by post. She affirmed, that none saw the coach but\nthemselves. The devil hath wrought far greater farlies in his time\nthan this.\u2014She knew much of the enchanted staff; for by it he was\nenabled to pray; to commit filthiness, not to be named; yea even to\nreconcile neighbours, man and wife, when at variance. She oft hid\nit from him; and because without it he could do nothing, he would\nthreaten and vow to discover her incest; fearing which, she would\ndeliver it again. Being asked the cause of her much spinning, which\nshe was famous for, she denied any assistance from the devil, but\nfound she had an extraordinary faculty therein, far above ordinary\nspinsters; yet owned, that when she came home, after her being\nabroad, she found there was more yarn on her wheel than she left: and\nthat her weaver could not make cloth thereof, the yarn breaking, or\nfalling from the loom.\u2014\u2014Once there came a stranger to her, while she\nwas at her wheel, and proposed a way to her to make her rick; for\nthey both lived almost upon alms. The way was this, \u201cStand up and\nsay, all crosses and cares go out of this house.\u201d She answered, \u201cGod\nforbid, I say that, but let them be welcome when God sends them.\u201d\nAfter two or three visits more, she asked this stranger, where she\ndwelt? She replied, \u201cIn the Potterrow,\u201d a street in the suburbs of\nthat city; but finding neither such a house, nor such a woman, I\njudged, said she, it was the devil, one of my brother\u2019s acquaintance;\nfor I know he had familiarity with the devil.\n\nHis poverty minds me of a wizzard accused and execute in Zetland,\nbefore named, for witchcraft, several years ago, called Luggy to a\nnick-name; who being a fisher, had a trick, at any time when hungry\nat sea, to cast out his line, and would out of Neptune\u2019s lowest\nkitchen, bring cleverly up fish well boiled and roasted; and his\ncomrades, by a natural courage, would make a merry meal thereof, not\nquestioning who was cook. He had another piece of art, at any time\nof the year, or in great storms, to go up to a hill near his own\nhouse, whereupon there was a deep pit, out of which, with his lines,\nhe drew up codlings or keiling for his provision, which never man\ncould but himself. This history is true, being yet to be seen in the\ncriminal books of that country.\u2014She was asked anent her parents? She\nwas persuaded her mother was a witch; \u201cfor the secretest thing that\neither I myself, or any of the family could do, when once a mark\nappeared on her brow, she could tell it them, though done at a great\ndistance. Being demanded what sort of a mark it was? She answered,\n\u201cI have some such like mark myself, when I please, on my forehead.\u201d\nWhereupon she offered to uncover her head for visible satisfaction;\nthe minister refusing to behold it, and forbidding any discovery,\nwas earnestly requested by some spectators, to allow the freedom. He\nyielded: She put back her head dress, and seeming to frown, there was\nseen an exact horse shoe shaped for nails in her wrinkles, terrible\nenough, I assure you, to the stoutest beholder. In the morning before\nher execution, she told the minister, she resolved to die with all\nthe shame she could, to expiate, under mercy, her shameful life;\nthis he understood to be an ingenuous confession of her sins in\nopposition to her brother\u2019s despair and desperate silence, to which\nhe did encourage her. At her parting with him, she gave him hearty\nthanks for his pains; and shaking his hands, offering to kiss them;\nshe repeated the same words which he bade her perform. Ascending up\nthe ladder, she spoke somewhat confusedly of her sins, of her brother\nand his enchanting staff; and with a ghastly countenance, beholding\na multitude of spectators, all wondering, and some weeping, she\nspake aloud, \u201cThere are many here this day, wondering and greeting\nfor me, but alas! few mourn for a broken\u2014\u2014;\u201d at which words, many\nseemed angry: some called to her to mind higher concerns; and I have\nheard it said, that the preacher declared, he had much ado to keep\na composed countenance. The executioner falling about his duty, she\nprepares to die stark-naked; then, and not before, were her words\nrelating to shame understood; the hangman struggled with her to keep\non her clothes, and she struggled with him to have them off. At last\nhe was forced to throw her over open-faced, which afterwards he\ncovered with a cloth.\u2014\u2014So much from the gentleman that gave me this\ninformation; to which I shall add, that this is not published with\na design to reflect upon men of this or that persuasion, far be it.\nThe devil can counterfeit what religion he pleases, and ordinarily\na good one. True religion can never suffer any prejudice from a\nhypocrite\u2019s wearing a cloak of it, more than the good angels can\nsuffer a stain by Satan\u2019s transforming himself into an angel of\nlight. The devil hath his lackies and pages with Christ\u2019s livery upon\nthem. Was not Judas, who was but one of the twelve, a vile hypocrite?\nIt is a wonder, where there are a thousand professing Christ in a\ncongregation, that a hundred of them are not as bad. His glistering\ncloak of religion dazzled all men\u2019s eyes; this was needful. Foul\nfaults must have a cloak to cover them. The apostle Jude speaks of\nsome that go after Sarko\u2019s heteras, which may be understood, not\nonly of that sin mentioned, Rom., i. 27. but of another sort of\nflesh, not to be named. Here was a demonstration, proving evidently\nthat there is a God, viz. by the terrors of his conscience. It is\nevident also, there is a devil that hurries men on into sin. He had\nthis expression to two ministers that came to see him in prison;\nthere was no temptation which the devil could propose to him, but\nhe was capable to accept of it. It is evident also, there is either\nan explicit compact between some men and the devil; horrible sins\ncovered with religion bring utter despair at last. Desperation in\nhell in \u201cfieri.\u201d Some men as well as devils are tormented before the\ntime. Let us not count the less of religion, that it is made a cloak\nfor covering sin; let us beware that such a man\u2019s fall prove not a\nneck-break to us; let us idolize no man for his profession, or that\nhe is of this or that persuasion, or of such a party: let no man rest\nin a bare profession of religion. Men in compact with the devil, may\nbe assisted both to preach and pray. The devil\u2019s servants are well\nrewarded at the last. Profession and practice must go together; a\nclinking profession, with an unbridled tongue, is a vain religion.\n\u201cPure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father, is, to\nvisit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction; and for a\nman to keep himself unspotted from the world.\u201d\n\nMajor Weir was burnt between Edinburgh and Leith, at a place called\nthe Gallowlee, on Thursday the 14th of April 1676.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVIII.\u2014_An Apparition seen in a dwelling-house, in Mary King\u2019s\nClose, in Edinburgh._\n\n\nSir, within these few years, there was one T. C. by profession an\nagent about the session-house; who about flitting time, was removing\nhis furniture from a lower part of the city to an higher. One in\nthe aforesaid close, seeing his maid on the Saturday carrying some\nlight furniture to such a house, asked her, if she was to dwell in\nthat house? \u201cYes,\u201d said she; \u201cfor I am hired for this half-year.\u201d\nHer friend told her, \u201cIf you live there, I assure you, you will have\nmore company than yourselves.\u201d And after twice or thrice more going\nup and down, getting several informations anent the business, she\nwas persuaded to tell her mistress, she would not tarry a servant in\nthat house, it being haunted with a spirit or ghost, and gave her the\nground of her intelligence.\n\nThe mistress informed her husband, desiring him to forbear that\nhouse, lest she should be affrighted even with apprehensions; but\nhe, out of a natural courage, and fortitude of mind, smiled at\nthe relation, and resolved to tarry, lodging there that very same\nnight.\u2014\u2014To-morrow being the Sabbath-day, they went both to church\nin the forenoon; but in the afternoon, he being indisposed, fitted\nhimself for a sleep; his wife took the Bible; and at the head of the\ntable near the bed, resolved to spend the time in reading of the\nHoly Scripture, appointing the servant to go to church, which she\ndid, but came no more to the family.\u2014As the mistress was reading\nto herself, she chanced to cast her eyes to a little chamber-door\njust over against her, where she spied the head and face of an old\nman, grey headed, with a grey beard, looking straight upon her, the\ndistance being very short; at which sight, she endeavouring to awaken\nher husband, fell in a swoon and fainted, and lay in that posture\ntill she heard some of her neighbours open their doors after sermon\nwas ended; then she told her husband what was done, and what she had\nseen, the apparition being evanished; he pleaded it was some fancy,\nor delusion of her senses, and bade her be of good courage.\u2014After\nsupper, both being alone, the goodwife\u2019s fear still continuing, she\nbuilt on a large fire, and went to bed. After a little time, the\ngoodman cast his eyes towards the chimney, and spied that same old\nman\u2019s head in the former place. He told his wife, who was like to\nfall into her former passion. He rising, lighteth a candle, sets it\non the table, and went to his bed again, encouraging themselves in\nthe Lord; and recommended themselves to God\u2019s care and protection.\nAfter an hour and more was spent thus; they clearly perceived a young\nchild, with a coat upon it, hanging near to the old man\u2019s head. At\nwhich sight, the goodman, Tom, flew out of his bed, and his wife\nafter him. He taking her in his arms, kneeled down before the bed,\nand with fervent devotion, they entreated the Lord to be freed from\nthat temptation. He lighted a second candle, the first being spent,\nand knocked upon his neighbours; but getting no answer, they both\nreturned to their bed, where they both kneeled down and prayed; an\nexcessive fear and sweat being upon them.\u2014By and by a naked arm\nappears in the air, from the elbow downward, and the hand stretched\nout, as when one man is about to salute another. He then skipped out\nof his bed, and kneeling down, begged help from heaven. The arm had\nnow come within its own length to him, as it were to shake hands with\nhim. Whereupon, he immediately goes to bed again, and at the opening\nof the curtain, it offered another salutation to him. The man and the\nwife embracing one another through fear, and still eyeing the naked\narm, they prayed the more earnestly. But the cubit offering to touch\nhim, he was in such a consternation and amazement, that he was as one\ndistracted; but taking some courage from God, he boldly spake to it\nafter this manner: \u201cIn the name of the living God, and of our Saviour\nJesus Christ, tell me why thou troublest my family? To my knowledge,\nI never wronged any man, by killing or cheating; but hath lived\nhonestly in the world. If thou hast received any wrong, if I can\nright thee, I will do my utmost for thee; but trouble me no more.\u201d\nNotwithstanding of this, the arm and hand, came nearer than before,\nstill after a courteous manner, with an offer of acquaintance. They\nfell to prayer again, both of them being drowned with sweat; and in\nthe mean time, they saw a little dog come out of that little room\nafore-named; which, after a little time looking about towards the bed\nand the naked arm, composed itself upon a chair, as it were with its\nnose in its tail to sleep. This somewhat increased their fear. But\nquickly after, a cat comes leaping out from the same room, and in the\nmidst of the hall, began to play some little tricks. Then was the\nhall full of small little creatures dancing prettily; unto which none\nof them could give a name, as having never in nature seen the like.\n\nIt is not possible to narrate the height of passion and fear these\ntwo were under, having all the apparitions at once in their eye,\nwhich continued a long time. The honest couple went to their knees\nagain within the bed; there being no standing in the floor of the\nroom. In the time of prayer, their ears were started with a deep,\ndreadful, and loud groan, as of a strong man dying; at which, all the\napparitions and visions at once evanished; and, as the honest couple\nthought, they retired to the little room from whence they came,\nand the house was quiet.\u2014After this, they both went hand in hand\nto the little room where the drink stood, and refreshed themselves\ntherewith. After they had taken a second draught, the husband said,\n\u201cMy dear, God hath made me this night to bear that which would have\nfrighted to death the stoutest of them all.\u201d The day approaching,\nthey dressed themselves, and made no secret of it. But looking back\nupon what happened, they wondered, that none of them had wit to open\nthe door, and to flee from the house, which had been easier done than\nto light the first candle. But they behoved to undergo this trial,\nhaving no power to escape it. And by this means, the goodman had the\ncourage to dwell in the house after till he died; yet would never\nwant some good fellows or others with him, concluding the worst was\nover; as indeed it was.\u2014A few weeks after, he, on a Sabbath day, went\nwith his wife to Corstorphine, a village two miles from Edinburgh,\nto hear sermon. In the evening, he took some refreshment there at a\npublic inn; and stepping to the door to ease nature, he was instantly\nsurprized with a vehement shivering and trembling in all his joints.\nComing from the end of the aforesaid village, with a purpose to come\nhome, he was accompanied with some crows flying above him, almost\nkeeping pace with him, till he came to Portsburgh, a part of the\nsuburbs of the city, where they left him, and returned to their own\nlodging. \u201cThese crows, my dear (says he) do prognosticate, that\nI must die shortly.\u201d He fell sick of a pain in his head, with an\nexcessive aking. But before I go further on this narration, I must\nmake a visit to the country.\u2014A gentleman near Tranent, or in it, a\ntown about seven miles from Edinburgh, whose agent this man was, in\nmanaging his law-affairs, and keeped his papers for that effect, had\na singular kindness for Thomas, as he had for him. This gentleman\nbeing in bed one morning with his wife, his nurse and a child lying\nin a truckle-bed near them, the nurse was affrighted with something\nlike a cloud moving up and down the room; but not shaped as such. She\ncalled to her master and his wife, and awakened them. He seeing the\ncloud figured like a man, nimbly skipped over the bed, and drew his\nsword; and going to bed again, laid it by his side, and recommended\nthe family to God. For a time it continued in the forementioned dark\nform; but, anon, they all saw perfectly the body of a man walking up\nand down. The gentleman behaved himself more like a Christian than a\ncombatant. At last, this apparition looked him fully and perfectly in\nthe face, and stood by him with a ghostly and pale countenance; at\nwhich the gentleman with great courage, said to the spectre, \u201cWhat\nart thou? Art thou my dear friend Thomas Coltheart?\u201d (For so was\nthe agent called.) \u201cArt thou dead, my friend? Tell me if thou hast\nany commission to me from Almighty God, tell it me, and it shall be\nwelcome.\u201d The ghost held up its hand three times, waving and shaking\nit towards him, and immediately disappeared. This was done about the\nvery hour (as was guessed) of the agent\u2019s death.\n\nThe Sunday after his death, among many accompanying his corpse to\nthe common burial place, some of the town ministers were there, and\nby chance a friend of his thanked one of them for his attendance;\nand said, \u201cSir, it was a pity that some of you saw him not before\nhe died.\u201d The minister asked him, \u201cIf any remarkable thing was\nthe cause of his sickness\u201d So much was told, as gave the minister\nground to make a visit to his widow; who made him very welcome\nwith tears in her eyes. After she had composed herself, he prayed.\nPrayer being ended, she began the before related story, and told\nit from the beginning. But when she came to the dog\u2019s part, she\ntelling him, that he was just now sitting upon the chair where the\ndog lay sleeping, the minister rises up, and taking the mistress by\nthe hand, \u201cCome, (said he) I have seen his chair; in the name of\nAlmighty God, I will see his chamber too;\u201d and so went in to see\nthe little room from which the apparition came, and to which they\nreturned; in which room she gave the minister an account of what\nfollowed the dog. In the mean time a gentleman came in, whom she knew\nby his voice, and running to him with great fervour, they embraced\none another affectionately with tears. To make an end, this stranger\nwas the gentleman to whom the ghost of the deceased husband appeared\nabout Tranent, the very hour when he was expiring at Edinburgh. He\ntold likewise, that that morning the ghost appeared to him, he\nwas resolved to attend the Duke of Lauderdale from Lithingtown to\nEdinburgh; but this apparition discomposing his wife, he could not.\nBut With his first conveniency (he told her) he had come in to see\nher, and get an account of his being touched with what he saw at his\nhouse.\n\nThese things coming to the Duke of Lauderdale\u2019s ears, as remarkable\nstories, he called for that minister, and had the same account of the\nparticulars, before many of the nobility, narrated to him.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIX.\u2014_An Apparition of a deceased Wife to her Husband, at\nEdinburgh._\n\n\nSir, that which I narrated to you the other day, I have now sent\nit under my hand, as a thing very certain and sure. I knew a\nservant-maid, that served a gentlewoman in the old Provost\u2019s Close,\nas they call it, who was married to a butcher called John Ritchie,\nabout twelve years ago. She lived about five years with him, and\nhad four children to him, and then died. Within a few days after\nher burial, he went in suit of a young woman, courting her for\nmarriage. He had a comrade of the same trade, to whom he revealed\nhis intention, and desired him to meet him at such a house, near\nto the court of guard, down some close or other, that he might see\nhis new mistress. The appointment was keeped. The two lovers sat\ndown together on a bed-side, and the comrade sat opposite to them,\nthere being a table between them, and a window or shot at the head\nof the room, that gave them light; the close or wynd was narrow to\nwhich they had a sight. And while they two are dallying together\nin the bed, the other smiling at them; behold, while this man is\ncasting his eye about the room, he perceived distinctly the body and\nface of the dead wife, in her clothes, looking towards them from an\nopposite window; at which this man, his comrade, rose up affrighted,\nsaying to the other, \u201cJohn, what\u2019s that?\u201d Whereupon all stood up\nlooking, and saw perfectly the buried woman lifting up her hands\n(as appeared) to take the dead-dress from her head, but could not\nreach it. The man threw the woman out of his arms, with a purpose\nto be gone quickly; but his comrade vowed he would not stir till\nhe got something to comfort his heart: they got a little brandy,\nand then went away; not without wondering and fear. Upon this, the\nman took sickness for three or four days; and his comrade coming\nto give him a visit, counselled him to delay, or wholly to desist\nfrom that purpose of marriage; but affection would not suffer him to\nforbear; and, though not fully recovered of his frenzy, he made a\nnew address to his mistress; but, while he is putting on his shoes,\nhis dead wife appears again in her ordinary habit; and crossing\nthe room in his sight, says, \u201cJohn, will you not come to me?\u201d and\nwith that evanished. Up on this, he took sickness again, and called\nfor his comrade, and told him of this second apparition, who most\nfreely entreated him to desist, or at least to delay. His sickness\nincreasing, he died. About which time, he spoke of a third visit\nhis wife gave him, blaming him as if he had too soon forgotten her,\nbut did not tell it distinctly; and therefore his comrade could\nnot be positive in it. He was buried within a month of his wife\u2019s\ndecease.\u2014One of the ministers of Edinburgh, who had been acquaint in\nthe house where she served, hearing some whisper of the apparition,\nsent a servant secretly to call for the man\u2019s comrade, who gave him\na just and true narration of all that I have written; adding, that\nhaving seen the vision first, some told him he would quickly die, but\nhe is yet living in the town, a flesher; the minister having married\nhim to two wives since. The deceased wife\u2019s name was Helen Brown. I\nintended to have published another relation anent the devil\u2019s coming\nin the night-time, and knocking three several times at such a man\u2019s\ndoor; but I was desired to forbear.\n\nHaving no kindness for the Cartesian philosophy, I must fall upon it\nin the close, as I did in the beginning. I will not name nor cite\nthe author that maintains the following blasphemous opinions, though\nI may; 1st, That there is an infinite intelligible extension, which\nis God, in which we see all bodies. 2dly, This author makes Christ\nthe eternal World, speak in the quality of a Cartesian philosopher.\n3dly, He destroys altogether the providence of God. 4thly, He says,\nthat God hath not made all things for his own glory. 5thly, That it\nwas necessary that all men should be sinners, that there might be a\ndiversity of glory. 6thly, Works done without grace are good works.\n7thly, God is not the author of every good thing that is in us.\n8thly, He destroys the authority of the Scripture, and exposes it\nto be despised by the prophane. 9thly, The thoughts of Jesus Christ\nare the occasional causes of the distribution of grace. 10thly, God\ncould have created spirits from all eternity. 11thly, All creatures\nare full of Jesus Christ. 12thly, He ruins the nature of sin by\nthe idea which he gives of liberty. l3thly, That liberty is not\nessential to spirit. 14thly, A man transported by his passion doth\nnot sin. 15thly, Every habit or passion, or temperament, which he\ncannot overcome, doth make the most ugly and enormous actions to be\nno sins. And thence, sodomy, incest, murder, adultery, rebellion,\nwitchcraft, are no sins if they be habitual. These are but a few\nof his blasphemous and atheistical opinions. This philosophy would\nplease some now-a-days very well, that habituate themselves in\nmurder; murdering some in their lodgings, and others on the King\u2019s\nhighway, as is most unchristianly done by some. \u201cO dementia! hucine\nrerum venimus?\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSOME\n\nADDITIONAL RELATIONS,\n\nWHICH HAVE HAPPENED IN THE\n\nSHIRE OF RENFREW, TOWNS OF PITTENWEEM, CALDER, AND OTHER PLACES.\n\n\n\n\nXL.\u2014_Concerning some Witches in the Shire of Renfrew._\n\n\nIt was about the end of August 1696, Christian Shaw, daughter to\nShaw of Bargarran, in the shire of Renfrew, about eleven years of\nage, perceiving one of the maids of the house, named Katharine\nCampbell, to steal and drink some milk; she told her mother of\nit: Whereupon the maid Campbell (being of a proud and revengeful\nhumour, and a great curser and swearer) did, in a great rage, thrice\nimprecate the curse of God upon the child, and uttered these words,\n\u201cThe devil harle your soul through hell.\u201d\u2014\u2014On Friday following, one\nAgnes Nasmith came to Bargarran\u2019s house, where she asked the same\nChristian, how the lady and young child was? and how old the young\nchild was? To which Christian replied, \u201cWhat do I know?\u201d Then Agnes\nasked, How herself did, and how old she was? To which she answered\nthat she was well, and in the eleventh year of her age.\u2014On Saturday\nnight thereafter, the child went to bed in good health; but so soon\nas she was asleep, began to cry, \u201cHelp, help;\u201d and did fly over\nthe resting-bed where she was lying, with such violence, that her\nbrains had been dashed out, if a woman had not broke the force of\nthe child\u2019s motion, and remained as if she had been dead, for the\nspace of half an hour. After this she was troubled with sore pains,\nexcept in some short intervals. And when any of the people present\ntouched any part of her body, she did cry and screech with such\nvehemence, as if they had been killing her, but could not speak.\u2014Some\ndays thereafter she fell a crying, that Catharine Campbell and Agnes\nNasmith were cutting her side and other parts of her body. In this\ncondition she continued a month, with some variation, both as to the\nfits and intervals.\u2014She did thrust out of her mouth parcels of hair,\nsome curled, some plaited, some knotted, of different colours, and\nin large quantities; and likewise coal-cinders, about the bigness\nof a chesnut; some whereof were so hot, that they could scarcely\nbe handled. One of which, Dr. Brisbane being by her when she took\nit out of her mouth, felt to be hotter than any one\u2019s body could\nmake it.\u2014The girl continued a long time in this condition, till the\ngovernment began to take notice of it, and gave commission to some\nhonourable gentleman for the trial of these two, and several others\nconcerned in these hellish practices; (which I shall, for brevity\u2019s\nsake, omit to mention) and being brought before the judges, two of\ntheir accomplices confessed the crime; whereupon they were condemned\nand executed.\n\n\n\n\nXLI.\u2014_Concerning the Witches of Pittenweem._\n\n\nPeter Morton, smith at Pittenweem, being desired by one Beattie\nLaing to do some work for her, which he refused, excusing himself in\nrespect he had been pre-engaged to serve a ship with nails, within a\ncertain time, so that till he had finished that work, he could not\nengage in any other; that notwithstanding, the said Beattie Laing\ndeclared herself dissatisfied, and vowed revenge. The said Peter\nMorton, afterward being indisposed, coming by the door, saw a small\nvessel full of water, and a coal of fire slockened in the water;\nso perceiving an alteration in his health, and remembering Beattie\nLaing\u2019s threatenings, he presently suspects devilry in the matter,\nand quarrels the thing. Thereafter, finding his indispositions\ngrowing worse and worse, being tormented and pricked as if with\nbodkins and pins, he openly lays the blame upon witchcraft, and\naccuses Beattie Laing. He continued to be tormented, and she was by\nwarrant apprehended, with others in Pittenweem. No natural reason\ncould be given for his distemper, his face and neck being dreadfully\ndistorted, his back prodigiously rising and falling, his belly\nswelling and falling on a sudden; his joints pliable, and instantly\nso stiff, as no human power could bow them. Beattie Laing and her\nhellish companions being in custody, were brought to the room where\nhe was; and his face covered, he told his tormentors were in the\nroom, naming them. And though formerly no confession had been made,\nBeattie Laing confessed her crime, and accused several others as\naccessory.\u2014The said Beattie having confessed her compact with the\ndevil, and using of spells; and particularly her slockening the\ncoal in water; she named her associates in revenge, against Peter\nMorton, viz. Janet Corset, Lillie Wallace, and \u2014\u2014 Lawson, had framed\na picture of wax, and every one of the forenamed persons having put\ntheir pin in the picture for torture. They could not tell what had\nbecome of the image, but thought the devil had stolen it, whom they\nhad seen in the prison.\u2014Beattie Laing likewise said, that one Isobel\nAdams, a young lass, was also in compact with the devil. This woman\nwas desired to fee with Beattie, which she refused: and Beattie\nlet her see a man at the other end of the table, who appeared as a\ngentleman, and promised her all prosperity in the world: she promised\nher service to him; and he committed uncleanness with her, (which\nshe said no other had done before) and he put his mark in her flesh,\nwhich was very painful. She was shortly after ordered to attend the\ncompany to go to one M\u2019Grigor\u2019s house to murder him. He awakening\nwhen they were there, and recommending himself to God, they were\nforced to withdraw. This Isobel Adams appeared ingenuous and very\npenitent in her confession; she said, he who forgave Manasseh\u2019s\nwitchcrafts, might forgive her\u2019s also; and died very penitent, and to\nthe satisfaction of many.\n\nThis Beattie Laing was suspected by her husband, long before she was\nlaid in prison by warrant of the magistrates. The occasion was this;\nshe said, that she had packs of wool coming from Leith to her, which\nshe was to sell at Auchtermuchty fair; and they being longsome in\ncoming to the market, he said, \u201cIt would not be in time to the fair.\u201d\nShe desired him to go to the market, for she was sure her merchant\nwould not fail her. He went off long before her; and when he came\nto the town, he found her before him, and two packs of very good\nwool, which she instantly sold; and coming home with a black horse\nwhich she had with her, they drinking till it was late in the night\nere they came home, the man said, \u201cWhat shall I do with the horse?\u201d\nShe replied, \u201cCast the bridle on his neck, and you will be quit of\nhim.\u201d And, as her husband thought, the horse flew with a great noise\naway in the air.\u2014\u2014They were, by a complaint to the Privy Council,\nprosecute by her Majesty\u2019s Advocate 1704, but all set at liberty,\nsave one, who died in prison, in Pittenweem. Beatie Laing died\nundesired, in her bed, in St. Andrew\u2019s; all the rest died miserable\nand violent deaths.\n\n\n\n\nXLII.\u2014_Concerning the bewitching of a Child in Ireland._\n\n\nAt Antrim, in Ireland, a girl of ninteen years of age, inferior to\nnone in the place for beauty, education, and birth, innocently eat a\nleaf of sorrel, which she got from a witch, after she had given the\nbegging witch bread and beer at the door: it was scarcely swallowed\nby her, but she began to be tortured in her bowels, to tremble all\nover, and even was convulsive; and, in fine to swoon away, as dead.\nThe doctors used remedies on the 9th of May 1698, at which time it\nhappened, but to no purpose. The child continued in a most terrible\nparoxysm: Whereupon they sent for a minister, who scarce had laid\nhis hand on her, when she was turned by the demon, in the most\ndreadful shapes. She began first to roll herself about, then to vomit\nhorse-dung, needles, pins, hairs, feathers, bottoms of thread, pieces\nof glass, window-nails, nails drawn out of a cart or coach wheel, an\niron-knife, above a span long, eggs, and fish shells. And when the\nwretch (I should have said the witch) came near the place, or looked\nto the house, though at the distance of 200 paces from the house\nwhere the child was, she was in worse torment, insomuch, that no\nlife was expected for the child, till the witch was removed to some\ngreater distance.\u2014\u2014This Witch was apprehended, condemned, strangled,\nand burnt; and was desired to undo the incantation, immediately\nbefore strangling; but said she could not, by reason others had done\nagainst her likewise: But the wretch confessed the same, with many\nmore. The child was about the middle of September thereafter, carried\nto a gentleman\u2019s house, where there were many other things happened\nscarce credible, but that several ministers, and the gentleman, have\nattested the same. The relation is to be seen in a pamphlet printed\n1699, entitled, \u201cThe bewitching of a child in Ireland.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXLIII.\u2014_Concerning the Witch of Calder._\n\n\nThis famous witch of Calder, is not to be altogether passed by. This\nhorrible slave of Satan was first suspected by her neighbours, and\nthen her horrible witchcrafts were found to the conviction of many,\nand direful experience of my Lord Torphichen\u2019s family.\u2014She had a\nchild died, which she gave to the devil, not only the soul, but the\ncorpse, without a burying.\u2014\u2014She put an incantation upon the aforesaid\nhonourable Lord\u2019s son, so that he was the terror, as well as the\ngrief of the family. This child was in a room with his sisters; he\ntold them, he knew what was doing by others absent; the daughters\ntold their Lady-mother. I forbear to tell all I had from an eye\nand ear witness; but this one I cannot pass. The son was tormented\nextremely, and at length, his pedagogue sitting up with him one\nnight, and being sleepy, he saw a flash of fire at the window; but\nthinking the child was asleep, continued to watch more carefully;\nand, as he thought, in a little time, the same fire appeared at the\nwindow; the child was awake in bed, and told him, he had been at\nTorryburn in the time. This child was several times taken away. He\ntold the family when he was to be taken away at other times; and\nsometimes, even then, though they waited on him, he appeared to be\nlifted up in the air, to be taken from them. This witch being taken\ninto custody, she then discovered others, who are all dead.\n\nShe was examined by the minister of the parish, and several others;\nbut was brutishly ignorant, and scarce knew any thing, but her\nwitchcraft. There was one day, that this child was waited on, when\nhe was to be taken away, they kept the door and window close; but\na certain person going to the door, he made shift and got to the\ndoor, and was lifted in the air, but was catched by the heels and\ncoat-tails, and brought back.\u2014There were many and dreadful things\nhappened to this child, which I forbear to mention, on account of\nthe honourable family, and that it is too late, and in every body\u2019s\nhead.\u2014When the witch was examined about the corpse of her child, she\nsaid, the corpse were buried; but the wright that made the coffin,\ndeclared, That she put nothing in the coffin but clouts. Then she\nsaid, \u201cThe child being long pined, and all flesh taken off by the\nsickness, it appeared but clouts; yet, at length she confessed, that\nshe gave the corpse as well as the soul to the devil, which he said\nhe was to make a roast of. She, with all her hellish accomplices,\ndied in custody, after they had confessed many amazing incantations,\nand horrible unheard of witchcrafts.\n\n\nFINIS.\n\n\n\n\n  Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n\n  TOC number 17 Changed Hataraick, on old Warlock to: Hattaraick\n  pg 3 Removed unneeded quote before: It was the deed of the\n         \u201cdumb girl.\u201d\n  pg 5 Added apostrophe in: clay one in her brothers: brother\u2019s\n  pg 8 Changed subscribed by the two notars public to: notary\n  pg 9 Changed white hand-cuffs, and hoggers to: hoggars\n  pg 10 Changed new name given to himself was Jones to: Jonas\n  pg 10 Changed Bessie Weir in his bed-straw. to: bedstraw.\n  pg 12 Added quote after: How she had win to the bolster?\n  pg 14 Changed wash them, but seing to: seeing\n  pg 28 Changed chapter heading from VII. to VIII.\n  pg 30 Added quote after: I replied, What, my major?\n  pg 30 Added quote after: \u201cCaptain, captain,\n  pg 31 Changed his guilt, and confesssion to: confession\n  pg 32 Changed with a genttleman to: gentleman\n  pg 35 Added colon after: ingenuity in him was this\n  pg 37 Added quote after: chusing rather to die than live; and\n          so died.\n  pg 42 Changed pin that it was fasttened to: fastened\n  pg 43 Added period after: before it came down\n  pg 61 Moved quote from: \u201cNot thine, answered the other,\u201d to:\n          \u201cNot thine,\u201d answered the other,\n  pg 61 Added quote before: but in obedience to God\n  pg 62 Added period after: considering what to do\n  pg 68 Added missing e after: amiss to insert it her  now: here\n  pg 69 Changed  it was supposed has to: his\n  pg 70 Added period after: I will do you no harm\n  pg 71 Added quote after: I will meet you some other time.\n  pg 74 Changed chapter heading XVI. to: XV.\n  pg 83 Changed XVII.\u2014Anent Hataraick to: Hattaraick\n  pg 87 Added period after Dr in: Dr Breton, late rector of Ludgate\n  pg 87 Added quote before: That she had business\n  pg 90 Changed clothes, stature, mein to: mien\n  pg 90 Changed journey-man in such cases uses to: used\n  pg 90 Changed hung in the shop, put in on to: put it on\n  pg 93 Changed bid them to he down to: be down\n  pg 94 Changed he had no knowlege to: knowledge\n  pg 98 Changed at the minister\u2019s back-yait to: back-yard\n  pg 99 Changed was thrown at the lad\u2019s bedstead to: bed-stead\n  pg 100 Added period after: trouble found about the family\n  pg 104 Changed chapter heading from XXV. to: XXII.\n  pg 107 Changed in the likeness of a oungman to: youngman\n  pg 108 Changed which she bad him spend to: which she had him spend\n  pg 109 Changed taken with him, who delcared to: declared\n  pg 110 Changed chapter heading from XXV. to: XXVI.\n  pg 110 Removed quote after: and it will grow meikle.\n  pg 110 Changed French Gentlemen, his two comerades to: comrades\n  pg 111 Changed The next morning the two comerades to: comrades\n  pg 124 Changed deal with them in the same manaer to: manner\n  pg 124 Added period after XXIX\n  pg 129 Added quote after: I know nothing to the contrary.\n  pg 134 Changed Magdalen Pans, where sh died to: she died\n  pg 135 Changed XXX. to: XXXIII.\n  pg 135 Added quote before: I asked her, how she came to the knowledge\n  pg 136 Added quote after: in Glasgow of that name?\n  pg 140 Added ) after: when he spoke of it\n  pg 141 Added XXXV. to chapter heading\n  pg 143 Changed One comes in the lkeness to: likeness\n  pg 145 Added period after: All is done that we have ready\n  pg 147 Added period after: but went about to shun it\n  pg 148 Added period after: a a street so called there\n  pg 148 Removed repeated letter a from: a a street so called there\n  pg 149 Changed devil your master too,\u201d who  d to: did\n  pg 150 Added period after: \u201cTorment me not before the time\u201d\n  pg 152 Changed  her body with a vehement cahination to: cachinnation\n  pg 155 Changed I please, on my forehead? to: forehead.\u201d\n  pg 157 Changed Foul faults must have a cloke to: cloak\n  pg 157 Added period after: only of that sin mentioned, Rom\n  pg 163 Changed the cause of his sicknes to: sickness\n  pg 167 Added quote after: \u201cO dementia! hucine rerum venimus?\n  pg 168 Changed Concerning some Witches in the Shire of Renfrere\n           to: Renfrew","title":"Satan's Invisible World Discovered: $b or a choice collection of modern relations, proving evidently, against the atheists of this present age, that there are devils, spirits, witches, and apparitions, from authentic records, and attestations of witnesses of undoubted veracity. To which is now added, that marvellous history of Major Weir and his sister, the witches of Bargarran, Pittenweem, Calder, &c.","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":54794}