Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
‘The 2. of February, in the night, _Iohn Starchie_ had verie shorte
fittes, and thick; and at the recouery of euery one, gaue 3 Knockes with
his hand on the seeling, and said that he must haue 20 such fits. The next
day he left knocking, and fell to washing his hands after euery short
fitt, and when so euer he washed, he would have newe water; if it were the
same wherewith he washed before (for he could tell) he refused it. About
the 14 of Januarie, these 5 beinge in theire fits, one of them began to
barke and howle (according to theire custom); after that 2. then 3, lastly
they were all in, like a ring of 5 bells for order and tune, and so
continued almost a quarter of an houre. After theer howling, they fell to
a tumbling, and after that became speachlesse, sencelesse, and as dead.
‘On the 1. of February, 4. of them fell a dauncing; _Elizabeth Hardman_
singing and playinge the minstrell, whome _Anne Starchie_ (the 5 being
well) followed, laughing at their toyes; but, after a while, she fel down
as dead. All the time of their dauncing, they wist not what they did. If
others called to them, they heard them not, answered not, and yet talked
one to another.
‘The 1. or 2. weeke of Lent, Mistres Starchie required them all 5. to tell
her how they were handled, that certaine knowledge might be had thereof to
the preachers: they all answered that an angell like a doue was come from
god, and that they must follow him to heauen, which way soeuer he would
lead them, though it were through neuer so little a hole, for he toulde
them he could drawe them through, and soe they ran under the beds. And
_Elizabeth Hardman_ was under a bedde making a hole, and beinge asked what
she did, she said that she must goe through the wall, for she on the one
side, and her lad on the other, would soone make a hole.
‘About a fortnight or three weekes before their delivery, _Elinor Holland_
and _Elizabeth Hardman_ foretould how many fits they shoulde haue before
they slept, and, tomorrowe, quoth _Elinor Holland_ in the forenoon I must
haue a fit of 3 howers long. When the tyme came shee bad them set the
hower glasse: they set it behind her, out of her sight; her eyes also was
closed. She was sencelesse and speachlesse, saue the noting of the time,
which she truly noted, saying, there is a quarter, the halfe hower, and,
as the glasse was runne out, she sayde, turne the glasse; and thus did she
3 tymes, or 3 howers. After comming to herselfe, she said _Iesus, blesse
mee_, which all of them usually said at the end of their fites. In like
manner did _Elizabeth Hardman_, for 2 howers, who beinge demaunded how she
knewe this, answered that a white Doue told them so.
‘About the 19 of March, the 4 youngest went on ther knees all morning
until afternoone, and they fleed from all the familye and neighbours, into
other chambers, calling them deuils with hornes, creeping under the bed,
when they had the use of their feete; their tongues were taken from them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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