Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
The third, Ellen Green, said ‘that one _Ioan Willimot_ of _Goadby_ came
about sixe yeares since to her in the Wowlds, and purswaded this Examinate
to forsake God, and betake her to the diuel, and she would give her two
spirits; to which she gave her consent, and thereupon, the said _Ioan
Willimot_ called two spirits, one in the likenesse of a Kitlin, and the
other of a Moldiwarp:[44] the first the said _Willimot_ called _pusse_,
the other _hisse, hisse_, and they presently came to her, and she,
departing, left them with this Examinate, and they leapt on her shoulder,
and the Kitlin suckt under her right eare on her neck, and the Moldiwarp
on the left side, in the like place. After they had suckt her, shee sent
the Kitlin to a Baker of that Towne, whose name shee remembers not, who
had called her Witch and stricken her; and bad her said spirit goe and
bewitch him to death: The Moldiwarpe shee then bad go to _Anne Dawse_, of
the same towne, and bewitch her to death, because she had called this
examinate witch, jade, &c., and within one fortnight after, they both
dyed.’
The case of Elizabeth Sawyer, known as the Witch of Edmonton, executed at
Tyburn, April 19, 1621, is so extraordinary that I give a large portion of
the tract _in extenso_:[45]
‘A true relation of the confession of _Elizabeth Sawyer_, spinster, after
her conviction of Witchery, taken on Tuesday the 17 day of _Aprill, Anno
1621, in the Gaole of Newgate_, where she was prisoner, then in the
presence and hearing of diuers persons whose names to verifie the same are
here subscribed to this ensuyng confession, made unto me, _Henry
Goodcole_, Minister of the word of God, _Ordinary and Visiter for the
Gaole of Newgate_. In dialogue manner are here expressed the persons that
she murthered, and the Cattell that she destroyed by the helpe of the
Diuell.
[Illustration]
‘In this manner was I inforced to speake unto her, because she might
understand me, and giue unto me answere, according to my demands, for she
was a very ignorant woman.
‘_Question._ By what meanes came you to have acquaintance with the Diuell,
and when was the first time that you saw him, and how did you know that it
was the Diuell?
‘_Answere._ The first time that the Diuell came unto me was when I was
cursing, swearing, and blaspheming: he then rushed in upon me, and never
before that time did I see him, or he me: and when he, namely the Diuell,
came to me, the first words that he spake unto me were these: _Oh! have I
now found you cursing, swearing, and blaspheming? now you are mine_.
* * * * *
‘_Question._ What sayd you to the Diuell, when he came unto you and spake
unto you, were you not afraide of him? If you did feare him, what sayd the
Diuell then unto you?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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