Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
‘(5) Item. The ferd tyme he apperit in hir awin hous to hir, about the XII
hour of the day, quhair thair was sittand thre tailyeouris, and hir awin
gudeman; and he tuke hir apperoun and led hir to the dure with him, and
sche followit, and geid[111] up with him to the kill end, quhair he
forbaid hir to speik or feir for ony thing sche hard or saw; and quhene
thai had gane ane lytle pece fordwerd, sche saw twelf personnes, aucht
wemene and four men: The men wer clad in gentlemennis clething, and the
wemene had all plaiddis round about thame, and wer verrie semelie lyke to
se; and Thome was with theme: And demandit, “Gif sche knew ony of thame?”
Ansuerit, “Nane, except Thom.” Demandit, “What said thai to hir?”
Ansuerit, “Thai baid hir sit doun, and said, Welcome Bessie, will thow go
with ws?” Bot sche ansuerit nocht; because Thom had forbidden hir. And,
forder, declarit, That sche knew nocht quhat purpois thai had amangis
thaime, onlie sche saw thair lippis move; and within a schort space thai
pairtit all away; and ane hiddeous uglie sowche of wind followit thame;
and sche lay seik quhill Thom came agane bak fra thame.
‘(6) Item. Sche being demandit, Gif sche sperit at Thom quhat personnes
thai war? Ansuerit, That thai war the gude wychtis that wynnit in the
Court of Elfame,[112] quha come thair to desyre hir to go with thame;
and, forder, Thom desyrit hir to do the sam; quha ansuerit, “Sche saw na
proffeit to gang thai kynd of gaittis, unles sche kend quhairfor!” Thom
said, “Seis thow nocht me, baith meit-worth, claith-worth, and gude eneugh
lyke in personn; and he suld make hir far better nor euer sche was?” Sche
ansuerit, “That sche duelt with hir awin husband and bairnis, and culd
nocht leif thame.” And swa Thom began to be verrie crabit with hir, and
said, “Gif swo sche thocht, sche wald get lytill gude of him.”
‘(7) Interrogat. Gif sche had socht ony thing at Thom, to help hir self,
or ony uther with? Ansuerit, That quhen sundrie personnes cam to hir to
seik help for thair beist, their kow, or yow,[113] or for ane barne that
was tane away with ane evill blast of wind, or elf-grippit, she gait[114]
and sperit at Thom, Quhat mycht help thame? And Thom wald pull ane herb,
and gif hir out of his awin hand; and baid hir scheir[115] the samin with
onye uthir kynd of herbis, and oppin the beistis mouth, and put thame in,
and the beist wald mend.’
Altogether, she seems to have been a kindly-disposed and beneficent witch;
but that did not save her from the sentence--‘Convict and Brynt.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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