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
The Swedish witches (1669) also had reason to complain of their
Grand-Master's cruelty: 'heretofore it was sufficient to carry but one of
their Children [to the meeting] or a strangers Child with them, but now he
did plague them and whip them if they did not procure him Children.'[808]
Among the Northumberland witches (1673):
'All of them who had donne harme gave an account thereof to their
protector, who made most of them that did most harme, and beate those
who had donne no harme.—At the said meeting their particular divell
tooke them that did most evill, and danced with them first, and called
every of them to an account, and those that did most evill he maid
most of.—The devill, in the forme of a little black man and black
cloaths, calld of one Isabell Thompson, of Slealy, widdow, by name,
and required of her what service she had done him. She replyd she had
gott power of the body of one Margarett Teasdale. And after he had
danced with her he dismissed her and call'd of one Thomasine, wife of
Edward Watson, of Slealy.'[809]
Punishments for minor offences are rarely recorded. At North Berwick
(1590), when the witches returned after sinking a ship, 'seeing that they
tarried over long, hee at their comming enjoyned them all to a pennance,
which was, that they should kisse his buttockes, in sign of duety to
him.'[810] At Aberdeen (1597) Christen Mitchell confessed that when the
Devil asked her to join, 'thow ansuerit, I will enter in thy band, bot I
will nocht byd thairin; and thairefter that the Devill gawe the a wisk, and
thow fell on thy face one the dyk of that yaird.'[811] Beigis Tod, who
belonged to one of the North Berwick Covens but was not tried till 1608,
was late in arriving at a meeting, 'quhair the Deuill appeirit to thame,
and reprovet the said Beigis Tod verrie scherplie, for hir long tayreing;
to quhome scho maid this ansuer, "Sir, I could wyn na soner."'[812] At
Lille if any witch desired to leave the religion, 'the Devil reproves them
then more severely, and obligeth them to new Promises.'[813] Occasionally
the witches kept discipline among themselves; this seems to have been the
case only when the culprit prevented the proper execution of magical
performances. At Aberdeen Thomas Leyis 'led the ring, and dang the said
Kathren Mitchell, becaus scho spillit your dans, and ran nocht sa fast
about as the rest.'[814] At Auldearne Isobel Gowdie described how the
witches used flint arrow-heads: 'I shot at the Laird of Park, as he ves
crossing the Burn of Boath; bot, thankis to God now, that he preserwit him.
Bessie Hay gaw me a great cuffe, becaus I missed him.'[815] The former
minister of Crighton, Mr. Gideon Penman, acted as the Devil's chaplain;
'ordinarily Mr. Gideon was in the rear in all their dances, and beat up all
those that were slow.'[816] But a reasonable excuse for trifling
misdemeanours could be accepted: 'The devill asked at Kathrine Moore quhair
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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