The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
Devon (1662) the two old witches, Margaret Huggon and Janet Paton,
confessed to being at a meeting, and 'the foresaids hail women was there
likeways and did all dance and ane piper play'.[530]
In France the instruments were more varied. Marie d'Aspilcouette, aged
nineteen, 'voyoit dancer auec violons, trompettes, ou tabourins, qui
rendoyent vne tres grande harmonie'.[531] Isaac de Queyran, aged
twenty-five, said that a minor devil (_diabloton_) played on a tambourine,
while the witches danced.[532] But as usual de Lancre is at his best when
making a general summary:
'Elles dancent au son du petit tabourin & de la fluste, & par fois
auec ce long instrument qu'ils posent sur le col, puis s'allongeant
iusqu'auprés de la ceinture; ils le battent auec vn petit baston: par
fois auec vn violon. Mais ce ne sont les seuls instrumès du sabbat,
car nous auõs apprins de plusieurs, qu'on y oyt toute sorte
d'instrumens, auec vne telle harmonie, qu'il n'y a concert au monde
qui le puisse esgaler.'[533]
Vocal music was also heard at the meetings, sometimes as an accompaniment
of the dance, sometimes as an entertainment in itself. When it was sung as
a part of the dance, the words were usually addressed to the Master, and
took the form of a hymn of praise. Such a hymn addressed to the god of
fertility would be full of allusions and words to shock the sensibilities
of the Christian priests and ministers who sat in judgement on the witches.
Danaeus gives a general account of these scenes: 'Then fal they to
dauncing, wherin he leadeth the daunce, or els they hoppe and daunce merely
about him, singing most filthy songes made in his prayse.'[534] Sinclair
had his account from a clergyman: 'a reverend Minister told me, that one
who was the Devils Piper, a wizzard confest to him, that at a Ball of
dancing, the Foul Spirit taught him a Baudy song to sing and play, as it
were this night, and ere two days past all the Lads and Lasses of the town
were lilting it throw the street. It were abomination to rehearse
it.'[535] At Forfar Helen Guthrie told the court that Andrew Watson 'made
great merriment by singing his old ballads, and Isobell Shirrie did sing
her song called Tinkletum Tankletum'.[536] Occasionally the Devil himself
was the performer, as at Innerkip, where according to Marie Lamont 'he sung
to us and we all dancit'.[537] Boguet notes that the music was sometimes
vocal and sometimes instrumental: 'Les haubois ne manquent pas à ces
esbats: car il y en a qui sont commis à faire le devoir de menestrier;
Satan y iouë mesme de la flutte le plus souuent; & à d'autrefois les
Sorciers se contentent de chanter à la voix, disant toutefois leurs
chansons pesle-mesle, & auec vne confusion telle, qu'ils ne s'entendent pas
les vns les autres.'[538] At Aix in 1610 'the Magicians and those that can
reade, sing certaine Psalmes as they doe in the Church, especially _Laudate
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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