Witchcraft -- England; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- Scotland
good the Deuil's worde, and to preuent the Iustice of the Law, and to
saue the hangman a labour, cut her owne throate." The poor boy was in
great misery when he heard of his mother's death, and knew now that what
despair had done for her, the tyranny of superstition would do for him;
yet "he stood out stiffly for his innocence," and when found guilty, broke
out into grievous cries, saying that he had now found the Law to have a
power above Justice, for that it had condemned an Innocent. At the gallows
he said the same thing, refusing to confess to Martha Aspine's murder, and
"thus with a dissembling Tongue, and a corrupted conscience, hee ended his
course in this world, with little hope or respect (as it seemed) of the
world to come." What became of his three familiars, Grissil, Ball, and
Jack, we are not informed, neither of what forms or functions they were,
nor of what colours or dimensions.
Grievously did Mistress Moulsho offend Ellen Jenkinson, when she caused
her to be searched for witch-marks, which of course were found; for
Helen's character was notorious, and there is no smoke without a little
fire. So Helen, in revenge, played Mistress Moulsho a trick that brought
herself to the gallows. For "at that time Mistris Moulsho had a Bucke of
clothes to be washt out. The next morning, the Mayd, when shee came to
hang them forth to dry, spyed the Cloathes, but especially Mistris
Moulsho's Smocke, to bee all bespotted with the pictures of Toades,
Snakes, and other ougly Creatures, which making her agast, she went
presently and told her mistris, who, looking on them, smild, saying
nothing else but this: 'Here are fine Hobgoblins indeede.' And being a
Gentlewoman of a stout courage, went immediately to the house of the sayd
Hellen Ienkinson, and with an angry countenance told her of this matter,
threatening her that if her Linnen were not shortly cleered from those
foule spots shee would scratch out both her eyes; and so not staying for
any answere, went home and found her linnen as white as it was at first."
Helen was soon after arraigned for the death of a child, by witchcraft,
but this story of Mrs. Moulsho's clothes all bespotted with the figures of
toads and snakes stood in the stead of any more rational evidence. When
found guilty, the poor creature cried out, "Woe is me, I now cast away!"
And when at the place of execution, she "made no other Confession but
this. That shee was guiltlesse, and neuer shewed signe of Contrition for
what was past, nor any sorrow at all, more than did accompany the feare of
death. Thus ended this Woman her miserable life, after shee had lived many
yeares poore, wretched, scorned, and forsaken of the world."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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