Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
they could have no permission to enter into him; whereupon they sent them
to his Daughter, and that such a night, as she sat by the fire, they
entred into her_. Now, the Family did remember that that very night, she
had, as she declared, a sudden pain that seized her, and, ever since, had
continued in a bad condition, and, after a little time, the Swellings and
Voice happen’d as aforesaid.
‘By which the whole Neighbourhood and Country round about, were so alarmed
at the strangeness of it, that multitudes of people went to See her, and
returned full of wonder and amazement, at what they had seen and heard:
The report whereof coming to my ears, I did not at first believe it, but
hearing it still confirmed, did, at last, go to see her myself, resolving
to make my observations as warily and curiously as I could. There were, I
believe, at that time, Forty or Fifty Spectators present, and in strict
observation two or three hours. I was, for my own part, fully satisfied
that it was a Possession, it being, as I conceive utterly impossible that
those things should be acted by her or any other person living, either by
the force of Nature or power of the most afflicting Distemper.
‘Her Father, being of the same opinion, and willing to use all lawful
means for his only Child’s recovery, having read that passage of our
Saviour’s--_That kinde comes not out but by Prayer and Fasting_; he
resolves to use that means, and to that purpose, desired some Ministers to
keep a day with him on that occasion. Having sent for them, the Devil told
him, _He expected five men to come, but there should only four come_. This
the Girl could not know of herself; yet so it happened: for one, by an
unexpected accident, was prevented from coming. These _four_ desired the
assistance of several Godly Ministers and Christians in the Neighbourhood,
who accordingly, met, and kept several days in Fasting and Prayer; and,
according to the best judgment that could be made, one of the evil Spirits
then departed, as was supposed from some accidents I shall relate by and
by. I, myself, was present several of these days; First she had two great
bunches rose up in her throat, and then a voice followed, uttering
abominable Blasphemies; upon which, a godly Minister present, and since
deceased, being stirred up with great Zeal and Indignation, going to
Prayer, did earnestly beg of God, that he would plague and torment Satan
for such of his Blasphemies; upon which the Spirit made a most dreadful
crying, and bemoaning his condition, and said, _I will do so no more_: To
which the Minister replied, _Satan, that shall not serve thy turn_: and,
continuing his Prayer to God as before, the Devil again cried and roared
most hideously, to the great amazement of all the people present; and,
from that time, it was observed that there was but one bunch rose up in
her throat, from whence it was conjectured that one of the Spirits was
departed. However, one continued his possession still, and, after they had
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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