Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
‘The next day following, the Maid was sent again to the Witch, to get some
example shewen upon the Gentlewoman that should procure the poyson, upon
which the Maid went again to the Witch, and told her for what she was
sent. Then the Witch made a Circle, as formerly, and set her pan of Coles,
as formerly, and burnt something that stank extremely, and took her book
and Glass, as before is related, and said _Beelzebub_, _Tormentor_,
_Lucifer_, and _Satan_, appear! And then appeared five Spirits as she
conceived, in the shapes of little ragged Boyes, which the Witch commanded
to appear, and go along with the Maid to a meadow at _Wilton_, which the
Witch shewed in the Glass, and there to gather Vervine and Dill, and,
forthwith, the ragged Boys ran away before the Maid, and she followed them
to the said meadow; and, when they came thither the ragged Boys looked
about for the Herbs, and removed the Snow in two or three places, before
they could find any; and, at last, they found some, and brought it away
with them, and then the Maid and the Boys returned back to the Witch, and
found her in the Circle paring her Nayls, and then she took the said
Herbs, and dryed the same, and made powder of some, and dried the leaves
of other, and threw Bread to the Boys, and they eat and danced as
formerly; and then the Witch, reading in a book, they vanished away. And
the Witch gave the Maid in one paper the powder, in another the leaves,
and in the third, the paring of the Nayls; all which the Maid was to give
to her Mistress. The powder was to put in the young Gentlewomens Mistriss
_Sarah_ and Mistriss _Ann Goddard’s_ drink or broth, to rot their Guts in
their Bellies; the leaves to rub about the rims of the Pot, to make their
Teeth fall out of their Heads; and the parings of the Nayls to make them
mad and drunk. And the Witch likewise told the Maid, that she must tell
her Mistriss, and the rest, that, when they did give it to them, they must
cross their Breasts, and then say, _In the name of our Lord Jesu Christ,
grant that this may be_, and that they must say the Creed backward and
forward.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account