The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England WitchesMather, Cotton
History
The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England -- Early works to 1800
_III._ As for _Elizabeth_ and _Deborah Pacy_, one Aged Eleven Years, the
other Nine; the elder, being in Court, was made utterly senseless,
during all the time of the Trial: or at least speechless. By the
direction of the Judg, _Duny_ was privately brought to _Elizabeth Pacy_,
and she touched her Hand: whereupon the Child, without so much as seeing
her, suddenly leap'd up and flew upon the Prisoner; the younger was too
ill, to be brought unto the Assizes. But _Samuel Pacy_, their Father,
testifi'd, that his Daughter _Deborah_ was taken with a sudden Lameness;
and upon the grumbling of _Amy Duny_, for being denied something, where
this Child was then sitting, the Child was taken with an extream pain in
her stomach, like the pricking of Pins; and shrieking at a dreadful
manner, like a Whelp, rather than a Rational Creature. The Physicians
could not conjecture the cause of the Distemper; but _Amy Duny_ being a
Woman of ill Fame, and the Child in Fits crying out of _Amy Duny_, as
affrighting her with the Apparition of her Person, the Deponent
suspected her, and procured her to be set in the stocks. While she was
there, she said in the hearing of Two Witnesses, _Mr. +Pacy+ keeps a
great stir about his Child, but let him stay till he has done as much by
his Children, as I have done by mine:_ And being Asked, What she had
done to her Children, she Answered, _She had been fain to open her
Childs Mouth with a Tap to give it Victuals._ The Deponent added, that
within Two Days, the Fits of his Daughters were such, that they could
not preserve either Life or Breath, without the help of a Tap. And that
the Children Cry'd out of _Amy Duny_, and of _Rose Cullender_, as
afflicting them with their Apparitions.
_IV._ The Fits of the Children were various. They would sometimes be
Lame on one side; sometimes on t'other. Sometimes very sore; sometimes
restored unto their Limbs, and then Deaf, or Blind, or Dumb, for a long
while together. Upon the Recovery of their Speech, they would Cough
extreamly; and with much Flegm, they would bring up Crooked Pins; and
one time, a Two-penny Nail, with a very broad Head. Commonly at the end
of every Fit, they would cast up a Pin. When the Children Read, they
could not pronounce the Name of, _Lord_, or _Jesus_, or _Christ_, but
would fall into Fits; and say, Amy Duny _says_, _I must not use that
Name._ When they came to the Name of _Satan_, or _Devil_, they would
clap their Fingers on the Book, crying out, _This bites, but it makes me
speak right well!_ The Children in their Fits would often Cry out,
_There stands_ Amy Duny, or _Rose Cullender_; and they would afterwards
relate, _That these Witches appearing before them, threatned them, that
if they told what they saw or heard, they would Torment them ten times
more than ever they did before._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account