Harvey, William, 1578-1657; Physicians -- England -- Biography
On the 7th of August, 1634, John Clarke was granted the reversion of
Harvey's office of Physician to St. Bartholomew's Hospital "in the
room and place of Dr. Andrewes late deceased. And this Hospital do
order that after Doctor Harvey his death or departure, there be but one
Physician forthwards." Harvey, however, outlived Dr. Clarke, who died
in 1653 and was buried in St. Martin's, Ludgate, but as Harvey did not
attend the Hospital after 1643 Clarke probably acted as sole Physician
to the Hospital for ten years before he died. He was President of the
College of Physicians 1645-1649.
The year 1634 was long memorable on account of "the Lancashire
witches," whose story is not yet quite forgotten. Their accusation, as
in that of the great outbreak at Salem in New England in 1692, began in
the lying story of a child. Edward Robinson, a boy of ten, and the son
of a woodcutter living on the borders of Pendle Forest in Lancashire,
played truant and to excuse himself accused Mother Dickenson of being a
witch. The boy, being examined by the magistrates, told his story so
openly and honestly that it was at once believed. He said that as he
was roaming in one of the glades of the forest picking blackberries he
saw two greyhounds which he thought belonged to one of the gentlemen
living in the neighbourhood. A hare appearing at the same time he hied
on the dogs, but neither of them would stir. Angry at the beasts he
took up a switch and was about to punish them when one of the dogs
started up as a woman, the other as a little boy. The woman was Mother
Dickenson, who offered him money to sell his soul to the devil, but he
refused. She then took a bridle out of her pocket, and shaking it over
the head of the other little boy he instantly became a horse. Mother
Dickenson seized Robinson in her arms and sprang upon the animal. They
rode with inconceivable swiftness over forests, fields, bogs, and
rivers until they came to a large barn. The witch alighted, and taking
him by the hand led him inside. There he saw seven old women pulling at
seven halters which hung from the roof. As they pulled, large pieces of
meat, lumps of butter, loaves of bread, basins of milk, hot puddings
and black puddings fell from the halters on to the floor. Thus a
supper was provided, and when it was ready other witches came to share
it. Many persons were arrested, for the boy was led about from church
to church to identify those he had seen in the barn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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