She was lucky, not only inasmuch as the belief in witchcraft was on the wane, as also to have been tried by so enlightened a judge as Sir John Holt, of whom the story is told (of which, however, I can find no authentication) that a witch was once brought before him, and a charm, written on parchment, was adduced against her. This charm, which consisted of a line or two of Greek verse, Sir John recognised as having been written by himself in his student days at Oxford to cure a poor woman’s daughter of the ague. But although the majority of so-called witches were executed after trial and sentence, all were not, for we find in the Calendars of State Papers several instances of pardons: 1597. 30 Ap. Pardon for Elizabeth Melton, late of Collingham, co. York, condemned for witchcraft. 1597. 3 May. Pardon to Alice Brerely of Castleton, co. Lanc., spinster, condemned for killing Jas. Kirshaw and Rob. Scolefield by witchcraft. 1604. 16 Ap. Grant to Christian, wife of Thomas Weech, co. Norfolk, of pardon for witchcraft. She was one of the extremely fortunate, for she was again accused of this crime. 1610. 3 Ap. Grant to Christian Weech of pardon for the murder of Mary Freeston by witchcraft. 1608. 15 Feb. Grant to Simon Reade of pardon for conjuration and invocation of unclean spirits. 1611. 7 May. Grant of pardon to Wm. Bate, indicted twenty years since, for practising invocation of spirits for finding treasure, the evidence being found weak, etc. With the beginning of the eighteenth century, the belief in witchcraft was dying out rapidly, and very few are the cases narrated. I give the following from a broadsheet; but to my mind it has not the true ring of former cases, and I doubt its authenticity; still, I give it as amongst the few reported cases in this century. ‘A FULL AND TRUE RELATION OF THE DISCOVERING, APPREHENDING, AND TAKING OF A NOTORIOUS WITCH, WHO WAS CARRIED BEFORE JUSTICE BATEMAN IN WELL-CLOSE, ON SUNDAY JULY THE 23RD, TOGETHER WITH HER EXAMINATION AND COMMITMENT TO BRIDEWELL, CLERKENWELL.’