Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
done Prayer, and were about to refresh themselves, he shewed strange
tricks before them, tossing her up and down, and when she was going, took
away the use of her legs, on a sudden. When she sate in a great Wicker
chair, he would cause the Chair to fall down backwards, almost to the
ground, and then lift it up again. One of the company bid her read in the
Bible; the Devil said aloud, _She shall not read_: It was answered, _She
shall read, Satan, for all thee, and read thy Condemnation too_.
Whereupon, he plaid more tricks by tossing her about, and drawing her face
to one side, as if it had been placed to look over her shoulder, and drawn
in a very deformed manner; but, at last she read part of the 20 Chapter of
the _Revelations_, though not without much opposition.
‘When she got upon the Horse to go home, it was a great while before she
was able to get upon him, and was flung sometimes backwards, other whiles
turn’d with her face to the horse’s tail, and handled very sadly; yet,
’tis observed, that he hath not much power to hurt her: for she often
declares, that, being now accustomed to his tricks, and consequently not
so much affrighted, the temptations he injects into her minde, are far
worse than all the mischiefs he does her body.
‘At another time I was with them, when in the time of Prayer, he barked
like a Dog, bellowed like a Bull, and roar’d after a wonderful frightful
manner, and, on a sudden, would fling her up a great height, yet without
hurte; whereupon, she, being placed in a low Chair, a man sate upon the
Table side, endeavouring to hold down her head, and myself and another
stood on each side, pressing down her shoulders; and though it could not
be imagined so weakly a creature could naturally have half the strength of
any one of us, yet she was tossed up, do what we could, and, at length,
the Spirit in a desperate rage cries out, _If I come out, I will kill you
all. I will throw down the house, and kill you all._ I answered, _Satan,
come out and try_. He continued raging till they concluded Prayer, and
then was pretty quiet.
‘There have since hapned many things considerable; I was once in her
company at a house, where I was wholly unacquainted, and for aught I know,
so was she; the people of the house gave us drink, and I drinking to her,
she rising to make a Curtsey, he took away the use of her legs, and said,
she should not drink. But when he found we were resolved to force the Cup
of Beer on her, he said, _There is a Well in the yard, go and drown
thyself_; when none of us that were strangers, knew there was such a Well.
‘He will often talk to some of the Family, or those that come to see her,
and many times utter blasphemous filthy words to their great trouble:
sometimes tell strange Stories to move laughter; sometimes be sullen and
not speak a great while together; sometimes, he jumps her up and down, and
draws her Body into a multitude of strange postures, too tedious here to
be related.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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