Witchcraft -- England; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- Scotland
and like a black dog, and Lierd, a she and like a hare or a lion, and red.
Suckin had first come to her a long time ago, as she was returning home
from the mill; he held her by the coats, she being amazed, but vanished
when she prayed. Again, when nigh hand at home, he tugged at her coats as
before, yet vanished when she prayed. The next day he came with Lierd, and
asked "why she was so snappish yesterday?" and thus they were for ever
troubling and visiting her, till at last she yielded to their
solicitations, and set them to the work she was accused of. This was the
second instance in which Brian Darcy found that old Ursley and her imp
Tiffin had spoken the truth.
Ales Manfielde bewitched John Sayer's cart, keeping it standing stock
still for above an hour, because she was offended that he would not let
his thatcher cover in an oven for her; and she lamed all Joan Chester's
cattle, because Joan refused her some curds. So Ales Manfielde was
condemned and executed; but not before she made her confession. She said
that Margaret Greuell (Greville), twelve years since, gave her four
imps--Robin, Jack, William, and Puppet or Mamet: they were like black
cats, two shes and two hes, and were put into a box with some wool, and
placed on a shelf by her bed. But Margaret denied it all, even when Ales
was confronted with her; denied too that queer tale of how she had
bewitched John Carter's two brewings, so that half a seame had to go to
the swill tub, all because he would not give her Godesgood. The brewing
was only unbewitched when John's son, a tall lusty man of thirty-six,
managed to stick his arrow in the brewing-vat. He had shot twice before,
but missed, though he was a good shot and stood close to the vat--which
was evident sorcery, somehow. Margaret denied also that she had bewitched
Nicholas Strickland's wife so that she could make no butter, because
Nicholas, who was a butcher, refused her a neck of mutton. But in spite of
all her denials, she, the hale woman of fifty-four, was condemned to
remain in prison, heaven knows for how long; escaping the gallows by a
greater miracle than any recorded of herself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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