[Footnote a: _Witches can by no meanes bee so easily brought to
recall the mischiefe they haue done, as by threats and stripes.
Remigius in Dæmonolatria, lib 3. c. 3._]
_Her wicked practises against Cicely Balye._
A third subiect whereupon this wrathfull womans anger wrought, was
_Cicely Balye_, then seruant to _Robert Coulton_, now wife of _William
Vaux_, who sweeping the street before her maisters doore vpon a Saturday
in the euening, _Mary Smith_ began to pick a quarrell about the manner
of sweeping, and said vnto her she was a great fat-tail'd sow, but that
fatnesse should shortly be pulled downe and abated. And the next night
being Sunday immediatly following, a Cat came vnto her, sate vpon her
breast, with which she was grieuously tormented, and so oppressed, that
she could not without great difficulty draw her breath, and at the same
instant did perfectly see the said _Mary_ in the chamber where she lay,
who (as she conceiued) set that Cat vpon her, and immediatly after fell
sicke, languished, and grew exceeding leane; and so continued for the
space of halfe a yeare together, during the whole continuance in her
maisters seruice; vntill departing from him, she dwelt with one Mistres
_Garoway_, and then began to bee amended in her health, and recouer of
her former pining sicknesse: for this Witch had said, that so long as
she dwelt neere her, she should not be well, but grow from euill to
worse.
Thus euery light trifle (for what can be lesse then sweeping of a lttle
dust awry?) can minister matter to set on fire a wrathfull indignation,
and inflame it vnto desired reuenge, the Diuell being willing to
apprehend and take hold vpon such an occasion, that so he might do some
pleasing office to his bond-slaue, whom she adored in submisse manner,
vpon her knees, with strange gestures, vttering many mumuring, broken,
and imperfect speeches, as this _Cicely_ did both heare and see, there
being no other partition between the chamber wherein shee performed
these rites, and the house of her maister with whom she then dwelt, but
only a thin seeling of boord, through a cranny or rift of whereof she
looked, listned attentiuely vnto her words, and beheld diligently her
behauiour, and might haue seene and heard much more, but that she was
with the present spectacle so affrighted, that she hastened downe in
much feare and distemper.
_Her wicked practise against Edmund Newton._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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