Three cases of magic occurred in 1432. On May 7 of that year an order was issued for the arrest of Thomas Northfelde, D.D., a Dominican friar of Worcester, and the seizure of all his books treating of sorcery or wickedness, and two days later Brother John Ashwell of the Crutched Friars, London, John Virley, priest, and Margery Jourdemain, who had been imprisoned at Windsor for sorcery, were released. In these cases it is very likely that the sorcery consisted in an uncanny and suspicious addiction to unusual branches of learning, combined possibly with experiments in chemistry or heretical tendencies, both alike dangerous in the eyes of the orthodox, but the third case was clearly a matter of bewitchment--in the opinion of the victim. The facts are quite simple. John Duram of York had a field with a pond in it, and having in some way incurred the enmity of Thomas Mell, a farmer, the latter, 'per divers artes erroneous et countre la foy catholice cest assavoir sorcery,' withdrew the water from John's pond, to the great injury of his cattle, besides certain other unnamed injuries wrought by his 'malveys ymaginacion et sotell labour.' Mell being under the patronage of men of influence because of his magical abilities, Duran did not dare to bring an action against him in the ordinary court, and therefore sought the intervention of the Court of Chancery, with what success I do not know. So far my magicians, it must be admitted, have been rather commonplace people, proceeding on the usual lines of their craft and displaying little originality, but my final instance is, so far as I know, unique. In an eighteenth-century manuscript in my possession, formerly in the Phillipps collection, amongst a mass of extracts from all kinds of records is an entry said to be taken from the court rolls of the manor of Hatfield in Yorkshire. According to this, at a court held in 1336 Robert of Rotheram brought an action against John de Ithen for breach of contract, alleging that on a certain day, at Thorne, John agreed to sell him for threepence-halfpenny 'the Devil bound with a certain bond' (_Diabolum ligatum in quodam ligamine_), and Robert thereupon gave him 'arles-penny,' or earnest-money (_quoddam obolum earles_), 'by which possession of the said Devil remained with the said Robert, to receive delivery of the said Devil within four days,' but when he came to John the latter refused to hand over the Devil, wherefore Robert claimed 60_s._ damages. John appeared in court and did not deny the contract, but the steward, holding that 'such a plea does not lie between Christians,' 'adjourned the parties to Hell for the hearing of the case,' and amerced both parties.