Irish Witchcraft and DemonologySeymour, St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt)
History
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology
Seymour, St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt)
Demonology; Witchcraft -- Ireland
"That in her Fits she often saw Florence Newton, and cried out against
her for tormenting of her, for she says, that she would several times
Stick Pins into her Arms, and some of them so fast, that a Man must
pluck three or four times to get out the Pins, and they were stuck
between the skin and the flesh. That sometimes she would be remov'd
out of the bed into another Room, sometimes she would be carried to
the top of the House, and laid on a board between two Sollar Beams,
sometimes put into a Chest, sometimes under a parcel of Wooll,
sometimes between two Feather-Beds on which she used to lie, and
sometimes between the Bed and the Mat in her Master's Chamber, in the
Daytime. And being asked how she knew that she was thus carried about
and disposed of, seeing in her Fits she was in a violent distraction?
She answered, she never knew where she was, till they of the Family
and the Neighbours with them, would be taking her out of the places
whither she was so carried and removed. And being asked the reason and
wherefore she cried out so much against the said Florence Newton in
her Fits? She answered, because she saw her, and felt her torturing
her.
"And being asked how she could think it was Florence Newton that did
her this prejudice? She said, first, because she threatened her, then
because after she had kiss'd her she fell into these Fits, and that
she saw and felt her tormenting. And lastly, that when the people of
the Family, by advice of the Neighbours and consent of the Mayor, had
sent for Florence Newton to come to the Defendant, she was always
worse when she was brought to her, and her Fits more violent than at
another time. And that after the said Florence was committed at
Youghal the Defendant was not troubled, but was very well till a
little while after the said Florence was removed to Cork, and then the
Defendant was as ill as ever before. And then the Mayor of Youghal,
one Mr. Mayre, sent to know whether the said Florence was bolted (as
the Defendant was told), and finding she was not, the order was given
to put her Bolts on her; which being done, the Deponent saith she was
well again, and so hath continued ever since, and being asked whether
she had such like Fits before the said Florence gave her the kiss, she
saith she never had any, but believed that with the kiss she bewitch'd
her, and rather because she had heard from Nicholas Pyne and others
that Florence had confessed so much.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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