After all this, the old gentlewoman’s bible was found in the ashes, the paper side being downwards. Mr. Mompesson took it up, and observed that it lay open at the third chapter of Mark, where there is mention of unclean spirits falling down before our Saviour, and of his giving power to the twelve to cast out devils, and of the scribes opinion that he cast them out through Beelzebub. The next night they strewed ashes over the chamber to see what impressions it would leave. In the morning they found in one place the resemblance of a great claw, in another of a lesser, some letters in another, which they could make nothing of, besides many circles in the ashes.—About this time (says my author,) I went to the house, on purpose to inquire the truth of those passages of which there was so loud a report. It had ceased from its drumming and ruder noises before I came hither: but most of the more remarkable circumstances before related were confirmed to me by several of the neighbours together, who had been present at them. At this time it used to haunt the children as soon as they were laid. They went to bed that night I was there about eight o’clock, when a maid servant coming down, told us it was come. The neighbours that were there, and two ministers, who had seen and heard it divers times, went away: but Mr. Mompesson and I, and a gentleman that came with me, went up; I heard a scratching, which was very strange, as I went up the stairs; and when we came into the room, I perceived it was just behind the bolster of the childrens’ bed, and seemed to be against the tyking. It was as loud a scratching as one with long nails could make upon a bolster. There were two little modest girls in the bed, between seven and eleven years of age, as I guessed; I saw their hands without the clothes, so that they could not contribute to the noise that was behind their heads; they had been used to it, and had always somebody or other in the chamber with them; and therefore seemed not to be much affrighted; I, standing at the bed’s head, thrust my hand behind the bolster, directing it to the place whence the noise seemed to come; whereupon the noise ceased there, and was heard in another part of the bed; but when I had taken out my hand, it returned and was heard in the same place as before. I had been told that it would imitate noises, and made trial, by scratching several times upon the sheets, as five, seven, and ten, which it followed, and still stopt at any number. I searched under and behind the bed, turned up the clothes to the bed cords, grasped the bolster, sounded the wall behind, and made all search that I possibly could, to find if there were any trick, contrivance, or common cause of it; the like did my friend, but we could discover nothing. So that I was then verily persuaded, and am so still, that the noise was made by some dæmon or spirit. After we had searched about half an hour or more, it went