This was the way they baptized the cat: ‘In the wobstaris[65] hous, in maner following: Fyrst, twa of thame held ane fingar,[66] in the ane syd of the chimnay cruik, and ane uther held ane uther fingar in the uther syd, the twa nebbis[67] of the fingaris meeting togidder; than thay patt the catt thryis throw the linkis of the cruik, and passit itt thryis under the chimnay.’ The confession of Issobell Gowdie, May 3, 1662, although it is somewhat mutilated, gives us a good insight into the manners and customs of Scotch witches: ‘Efter that tym ther vold meit bot sometymes a _Coven_, somtymes mor, somtymes les; bot a Grand Meitting vold be about the end of ilk Quarter. Ther is threttein persones in ilk _Coven_; and ilk on of us has a _Spirit_ to wait wpon us, quhan ve pleas to call wpon him. I remember not all the Spritis names; bot thair is on called _Swein_, quhilk waitis wpon the said Margaret Wilson in Aulderne; he is still[68] clothed in grass grein; and the said Margret Wilson hes an niknam called _Pikle neirest the Wind_. The nixt Sprit is called _Rorie_ who waitis wpon Bessie Wilsone, in Aulderne; he is still clothed in yallow; and hir nikname is _Throw the Corne yaird_. The third Sprit is called _The Roring Lyon_, who waitis wpon Issobell Nicoll in Locklow; and [he is still clothed] in sea grein; her niknam is _Bessie Rule_. The fowrth Sprit is called _Mak Hector_, qwho waitis wpon Jean Martein, dawghter to the said Margaret Wilson; he is a yowng-lik Devill, clothed still in grass [green. Jean Martein is] _Maiden_ to the Coven that I am of; and hir nikname is _Over the Dyke with it_, becaws the _Divill_ [alwayis takis the] Maiden in his hand nix him, quhan ve daunce Gillatrypes, and quhan he vold lowp from ...[69] he and she will say, “Ower the dyk with it.” The name of the fyft Sprit is _Robert the_ [_Rule_ and he is still clothed in] sadd dun, and seimis to be a Comander of the rest of the Spiritis; and he waittis wpon Margret Brodie, in Aulderne. [The name of the saxt Spirit] is called _Thieff of Hell wait upon hir selfe_, and he waitis also on the said Bessie Wilson. The name of the sevinth [Sprit is called] _The Read Reiver_, and he is my owin Spirit, that waittis on my selfe, and is still clothed in blak. The aught Spirit [is called] _Robert the Jackis_, still clothed in dune, and seimes to be aiged. He is ane glaiked gowked Spirit! The woman’s [nikname] that he waitis on, is _Able and Stowt_! The nynth Spirit is called _Laing_, and the womans nikname that he vaitis wpon is _Bessie Bauld_. The Tenth Spirit is named _Thomas a Fearie_, &c.--Ther wil be many uther Divellis, waiting wpon [our] _Maister Divell_; bot he is bigger and mor awfull than the rest of the Divellis, and they all reverence him. I will ken them all, on by on, from utheris, quhan they appeir lyk a man. ‘Quhan we rease the wind, we tak a rag of cloth, and weitts[70] it in water; and we take a beetle[71] and knokis the rage on a stone, and we say thryse ower: