Collection 
 
 OF 
 
 RARE AND CURIOUS TRACTS 
 
 ON 
 
 WITCHCRAFT 
 
 AND THE 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 Original Essay on Witchcraft. 
 
 PRINTED FOR D. WEBSTER, 35, WEST COLLEGE STREEt, 
 
 1820.
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 Printed by Thomas Webster.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 An Original Essay on Witchcraft, - - - 
 News from Scotland, - - - - - - -13 
 
 To the Reader, 15 
 
 A True Discourse of the Damnable Life of 
 Doctor Fian, and Sundry other Witches, 
 lately taken in Scotland, - - - - - 17 
 
 Another Account of the Foregoing Transac- 
 tions, from Sir James MelvilPs Memoirs, 36 
 Advertisement, ------- - -40 
 
 Extracts from King James's Daemonologie con- 
 cerning Sorcery and Witchcraft, - - - 42 
 Notice to the Reader, - ------68 
 
 Answer of a Letter from a Gentleman in Fife, 
 to a Nobleman, containing an Account of 
 the Barbarous and Illegal Treatment of the 
 Witches in Pittenweem, - - - - - 69 
 
 Another Letter concerning the Witches of Pit- 
 tenweem, -_*__-___- 73 
 A Just Reproof to the False Reports contained 
 in the two Foregoing Letters, - - - - 79
 
 iv Page 
 
 A Copy of the Indictment and Precept for 
 Summoning the Jury and Witnesses, with 
 the Warrant for the Execution, of the 
 Witches at Borrowstouness, - - - - 95 
 Trial of Isobel Elliot and others, - - - -104 
 Confession of Helen Taylor, - - - - 107 
 Deposition of Manie Haliburton, - - - - 109 
 Declaration of John Kincaid, the Pricker, - 111 
 Trial of William Coke and Allison Dick, - -' 113 
 Amount of the Kirk's Share of Expense for 
 Burning the said William Coke and Alli- 
 son Dick, 123 
 
 Town's part on the above occasion, - - - 124 
 Account of the Expense of Burning Margaret 
 
 Denham, ...._ 125 
 
 Minutes and Proceedings of the Kirk-Session 
 of Torryburn, and the Confession of Lillias 
 
 Adie, - - 129 
 
 Frazer on the Second Sight, - - - - - 147 
 
 The Publisher to the Reader, 150 
 
 Short Advertisement to the Reader, - - - 157 
 A Brief Discourse concerning the Second Sight, 
 commonly so called, - - - ----- 159
 
 AN 
 
 ORIGINAL ESSAY 
 
 ON 
 
 WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 IF we wish to form a just estimate of the human 
 character in its progress through the various stages 
 of civilization, from ignorance and barbarism, to 
 science and refinement, we must search into the 
 natural causes that actuate the human mind. The 
 life of man is prolonged to a remoter period, but 
 subjected to more casualties, and greater vicissi- 
 tudes of fortune, than most other animals. From, 
 these causes arises his anxious solicitude about fu- 
 turity, and an eager desire to know his destiny ; 
 and thus man becomes the most superstitious of all 
 other creatures. In every nation there have been 
 multitudes of oracles, augurs, soothsayers, diviners, 
 fortune-tellers, witches, sorcerers, &c. whose busi- 
 ness has been to communicate intelligence respect- 
 ing futurity, to the rest of mankind. If we attend 
 to history, we shall find this theory sufficiently con- 
 firmed by experience. The most superstitious part 
 of the species are soldiers and sailors, who are more
 
 6 AN ORIGINAL ESSAY 
 
 exposed to accidents than any other class. History 
 is full of the superstitious observances of the Ro- 
 man armies ; their regard to omens ; the entrails of 
 victims ; the flight of birds, &c. and there are thou- 
 sands of brave sailors of the present day, who would 
 not sail in the finest ship of the British navy, with- 
 out a horse-shoe were nailed on the main-mast. 
 This passion of diving into futurity, naturally pro- 
 duced a number of ' dealers in destiny's dark coun- 
 cil^ who soon found it turn out a very lucrative 
 profession. From knowing the secrets, it was na- 
 turally inferred, that they were the favourites of 
 those powers who are supposed to have the future 
 happiness of mankind at their disposal. This we 
 apprehend is the real source of that power which 
 the priesthood hath ever exercised over the human 
 mind. Pleasure and pain are the two great princi- 
 ples of human action which has given rise to, the 
 good and evil principle common to all nations. 
 Those who held communication and commerce 
 with the evil principle, are witches, wizzards, sor- 
 cerers, &c. Although we have various laws and 
 injunctions against witchcraft in scripture, yet we 
 are still as much in the dark as ever, as no defini- 
 tion is given of it, nor is the particular actions which 
 constitute witchcraft enumerated, so as we can say 
 wherein it consists. The story of the witch of 
 Endor, is a case that throws more light on the sub- 
 ject than any other. But she appears to have act- 
 ed more in the character of one of our second sight- 
 ed seers, than one of our modern witches. Ac- 
 cording to our notions and ideas of witchcraft (as laid
 
 ON WITCHCRAFT. 7 
 
 down by that sapient monarch James VI.), it is a 
 poor ignorant old woman, who, through misery or 
 malice, gives herself to the devil, soul and body, 
 and renounces her baptism ; for which considera- 
 tions Satan engages to assist her with his power to 
 work a number of petty mischiefs on such as she 
 has a spite at ; and sometimes he advances a little of 
 the ' needful,' which, unfortunately for the poor old 
 Jutg, turns out to be ' naething but sklite stands, 
 and this most unaccountable contract is generally 
 sealed by * carnal copulation /' And yet, after be- 
 lieving this, we call ourselves rational creatures, 
 and other animals we term brutes ! ! Many people 
 have wondered, how so exalted a personage as the 
 devil formerly was in days of yore, should latterly 
 have taken up with such low company as our mo- 
 dern witches. He who tempted the very fathers of 
 the church in so many various ways ; who kept the 
 whole priesthood of the Catholic church constantly 
 on the alert with holy \vater, exorcisms, &c. only 
 to keep him in check ; who often attacked Luther 
 and our other reformers, in very ungentlemany dis- 
 guises ; and had even the audacity to insult our co- 
 venanted saints, by bellowing like a bull, grunting 
 like a pig, or groaning like a dying man. These 
 were pranks something worthier of a devil than the 
 tricks played off by the witches. Our King James 
 gives the reason, because 4 the consuniation of the 
 world, and our deliverance drawing neere, makes 
 Satan so rage the more in his instruments, knowing 
 his kingdom to be so neere an end.' James was a 
 little out in his reckoning here, ' the consumption
 
 8 AN ORIGINAL ESSAY 
 
 of the world* not having taken place as yet, and the 
 deviPs kingdom turning out to be rather better es- 
 tablished than his own. So far was it from being 
 near an end, that it was on the increase, caused 
 chiefly by the absurd and stupid laws that were en- 
 acted against it bv himself and successors. The 
 devi'V kingdom is not to be destroyed by acts 
 of parliament and burning of witches ; these expe- 
 dients have been tried in vain all over Europe and 
 America, without effect ; but now, when every per- 
 son can bewitch with impunity, not a witch is to be 
 found ; and the devil, though left at large, has re- 
 treated to the Highlands and islands, where he is 
 seldom seen, even by those who Siave the second 
 sight. The irue engines for battering the strong 
 hoids oJ Satan, and driving him and his imps into 
 utter darkness, are science and philosophy ; these 
 are the weapons that have compelled him to retro- 
 gade movenu-nls, after lavishing rivers of holy wa- 
 ter in vain. Thus the terrific claws of the devil, 
 when seen by the distempered eyes of ignorant bi- 
 gotry, appear to us truly horrible, but when viewed 
 through philosophical spectacles, look as harmless 
 as the lamb-skin gloves of a fine lady. 
 
 These stories, however, convey a strong likeness 
 of the times in which they were acted. In our day, 
 it is almost impossible to believe, that human be- 
 ings could give credit to such gross absurdities as 
 we have laid before the public in this little work, 
 were the evidence not indubitable. Far less, that 
 judges, lawyers, and divines, should unite in mur- 
 dering such numbers of poor ignorant helpless crea-
 
 ON WITCHCRAFT. 9 
 
 tures, for such mad chimeras, when it is hard to 
 say, whether the poor victim, or the insane judges, 
 were under the greater delusion. These wonder- 
 ful tales of the doings of the devil with the witches, 
 are taken from their own confessions, and from their 
 delating of one another, as it is called. To us it 
 does not appear improbable, but that too many of 
 the poor deluded wretches actually imagined them- 
 selves to be witches. Nor will this appear so very 
 surprizing, if we consider the circumstances of the 
 case. At that period, any person who doubted of 
 witchcraft, was looked upon as an athiest, and 
 worse than mad ; the whole country, from one end 
 to the other, was continually ringing with tales of 
 witches, devils, and fairies, with such other trash. 
 Is it not then most likely, that people should dream 
 about them ? and is there any thing unnatural in 
 supposing, that they should mistake these dreams 
 for realities ? as is evidently proved in several cases, 
 and then confess, not the actions they really did, 
 but the effects of their own disordered imagination. 
 Moreover, when confined for this imaginary crime, 
 they were tortured in all manner of ways, deprived 
 of sleep, flung into water, and brodit, as they called 
 it, being striped naked and searched for the devil's 
 mark, in the most indecent manner. These con- 
 fessions, after they were made, were nothing more 
 than the wild ravings of a distempered imagination ; 
 and such a tissue of inconsistencies, as no person of 
 the present day would listen to. An old woman in 
 the Isle of Teree (as related by Mr Frazer, page 
 165), took in her head that she was in heaven no
 
 AN ORIGINAL ESSAY 
 
 less, and had eat and drank there ; and so firmly 
 had the poor creature imbibed the notion, that it 
 was with some difficulty she could be undeceived. 
 A curious account of a pretended meeting with the 
 devil, is given by a gentleman of Normandy, in the 
 Memoirs of Literature for November 1711. 
 
 " The pretended meeting, about which those who 
 believe they have been at it, relate so many extra- 
 vagant things, is only in their imagination. I own, 
 that some country people, especially shepherds, do 
 now and then rub their skin with some narcotick 
 grease or ointments, which cast them into a sound 
 sleep, and fill their imagination with a thousand 
 visions. When they are thus asleep, they fancy 
 they see every thing that was told them concerning 
 the devil's meeting, by their fathers, who were also 
 shepherds, or wizards, if you will have me to call 
 them so. Whereupon I will inform you of what 
 I have been told by a country friend of mine, who 
 pretended to have a mind to go to the devil's meet- 
 ing with his own shepherd, who had the reputation 
 of being a great sorcerer. Having frequently urg- 
 ed that shepherd to carry him thither, at last he 
 obtained his desire. He went to him in the night 
 at the appointed time. The shepherd immediately 
 gave him something to grease himself withal. He 
 took the grease as if he had a mind to rub his skin 
 with it ; but he desired that the shepherd's son, 
 who was to go to the devil's meeting with his fa- 
 ther, should anoint himself first. Which being 
 done, that gentleman told the shepherd, that he 
 should be glad to know what would become of the
 
 ON WITCHCRAFT. 11 
 
 young man. Not long after, the young man fell 
 fast asleep, and when he awaked, though he had 
 not stirred from that place, he gave an account of 
 every thing he thought he had seen at the deviPs 
 meeting ; and even named several persons whom he 
 pretended to have seen there. My friend perceiv- 
 ed then, that what is commonly said of the deviPs 
 meeting was a mere fancy. I have told you this 
 story, that you may impart it to your brethren, 
 who being prepossest with popular errors about 
 witchcraft, do frequently hang and burn poor 
 wretches, whose crime does only consist in the 
 weakness of their imagination." 
 
 A thousand more instances might be produced 
 to show, that the devil hath no meetings any where, 
 but in the perturbed brain of ignorant credulity. 
 The history of superstition is however of great use; 
 we there see its dangerous influence upon the 
 peace and happiness of society its degrading ef- 
 fects upon the character and manners of nations, 
 in morality, literature, jurisprudence, and science. 
 Theology seems to have been particularly infected 
 with this pestiferous contagion. The clergy were 
 generally in the front rank of witch-hunters, and 
 through their influence, the most of them were put 
 to death. In places where the minister was in- 
 flamed with a holy zeal against the devil and his 
 emissaries, such as Pittenweem and Torryburn, 
 the parish became a perfect hot-bed for the rearing 
 of witches ; and so plentiful a crop did it produce, 
 that it appeared nothing else could thrive. But in 
 places where the minister had some portion of hu-
 
 12 AN ORIGINAL ESSAY, &C. 
 
 manity, and a little common sense, the devil very 
 rarely set foot on his territories, and witchcraft was 
 not to be found. Since the repeal of the statutes 
 against witchcraft, several prosecutions have been 
 instituted against witches, who were convicted and 
 punished ; but it was bewitching silly ignorant peo- 
 ple out of their money, goods, and common sense, 
 by pretending a knowledge of futurity a power of 
 relieving maladies in man or beast or procuring 
 the affection of some favourite swain to a love-sick 
 maiden. The dupes of these impostors do not alto- 
 gether escape, as they are made the laughing stock 
 of their neighbours ; and by these means even this 
 trade is now nearly annihilated. Happily for our 
 times, the refulgent brightness of philosophy and 
 science, hath dispelled these dark clouds of benight- 
 ed superstition, and left us in possession only of 
 our natural powers and faculties, which are quite 
 enough. 
 
 EDITOR.
 
 g front ^cotlantr : 
 
 DECXAIUXO THE 
 
 DAMNABLE LIFE OF' DOCTOR FIAN, 
 
 al> . A 
 
 NOTABLE SORCERER, 
 
 WHO WAS 
 
 Burned at Edenbrmigh in Januarte last, 1591. 
 
 WHICH I>OCTOU WAS REGISTER TO THE DEVILL THAT 
 SUNDRIE TIMES PREACHED AT NORTH BAIUUCKK 
 KIRKE TO A DUMBER OF NOTORIOUS WITCHES. 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 TRUE EXAMINATIONS OF THE SAID DOCTOR 
 AND WITCHES, AS THEY UTTERED THEM 
 IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SCOTTISH KING. 
 
 D1SCOVERIXO 
 
 HOW THEY PRETENDED TO BEWITCH AND DROWNS 
 HIS MAJESTIE IN THE SEA COMMING FROM DEN- 
 
 :r ARKE ; WITH SUCH OTHER WONDERFULI, 
 
 MATTERS AS THE LIKE HATH NOT BEIN 
 HEARD AT ANIE TIME. 
 
 Published according to the Scottish 
 
 PR1NTEJ) FOR WILLIAM WRIGHT, 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 XE-FftlNTKD FOIL D. ^VBSTEK, 35, WST COLLKOE STRET. 
 
 1820,
 
 TO THE READER, 
 
 M. HE manifold untruths which are spred abroad 
 concerning the detestable actions and apprehension 
 of those witches whereof this historic following true- 
 ly entreateth, hath caused me to publish the same 
 in print, and the rather for that sundrie written 
 coppies are lately dispersed thereof, containing that 
 the said witches were first discovered by meanes of 
 a poore pedlar travelling to the towne of Trenent ; 
 and that by a wonderfull manner hee was in a mo- 
 ment conveyed at midnight from Scotland to Bur- 
 deux in France (being places of no small distance), 
 into a merchant's sellar there ; and after being sent 
 from Burdeux into Scotland by certaine Scottish 
 merchants to the King's Majestic, that he discover- 
 ed those witches, and was the cause of their appre- 
 hension ; with a number of matters miraculous and 
 incredible : all which in truth are most false. Never- 
 theless, to satisfie a number of honest mindes, who 
 are desirous to be informed of the'veritie aud truth
 
 XVI TO TUB UKADEE. 
 
 of their confessions, which for certaintie is more 
 stranger than the common reporte runneth, and yet 
 with more truth. I have undertaken to publish 
 this short Treatise which declareth the true dis- 
 course of all that happened, and as well what was 
 pretended by those wicked and detestable witches 
 against the King's Majestic ; as also by what means 
 they wrought the same. 
 
 All which examinations (gentle reader) I have 
 here truly published as they were taken and utter- 
 ed in the presence of the King's Majestie, praying 
 ihee to accept of it for veritie, the same being so 
 true as cannot be jeproyed.
 
 A 
 
 TRUE DISCOURSE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 APPREHENSION OF SUNDRIE WITCHES LATELY TAKEN 
 IN SCOTLAND ; WHEREOF SOME ARE EXECUTED, 
 AND SOME ARE YET IMPRISONED. WITH A PAR- 
 TICULAR RECITALL OF THEIR EXAMINATIONS, 
 TAKEN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING'S MA- 
 JESTLE. 
 
 G D > by hi s omnipotent power, hath at all times, 
 and daily dooth take such care, and is so vigilant 
 for the weale and preservation of his owne, that 
 thereby he disappointeth the wicked practices and 
 evil intents of all such as by any means whatsoever 
 seeke indirectly to conspire any thing contrary to 
 his holy will : Yea, and by the same power he hath 
 lately overthrowne and hindered the intentions and 
 wicked dealings of a great number of ungodly crea- 
 tures, no better than devils ; who suffering them- 
 selves to be allured and enticed by the Devil whom 
 they served, and unto whom they were privately 
 sworne, entered into the detestable art of witchcraft, 
 which they studied and practised so long time, that
 
 18 "NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 in the ende they had seduced by their sorcerie a 
 number of others to be as bad as themselves, dwell- 
 
 \ 
 
 ing in the bounds of Lowthen, which is a princi- 
 pall shire or part of Scotland, where the Kinges 
 Majestic useth to make his cheifest residence or 
 abode ; and to the ende that their detestable wick- 
 f dnesse which they prively had pretended against 
 the Kinges Majestie, the commonweale of that 
 eountrie, with the nobilitie and subjects of the 
 same, should come to light. God of his unspeak- 
 able goodness did reveale and laie it open in verie 
 strange sorte, thereby to make known to the world 
 that their actions were contrarie to the lawe of God 
 and the naturall affection which we ought generally 
 to beare one to another. The manner of the re- 
 Dealing whereof was as followeth. 
 
 Within the towne of Trenent, in the kingdome 
 of Scotland, there dwelleth one David Seaton, who 
 being deputie bailiffe in the said towne, had a maid 
 called Geillies Duncane, who used secretlie to ab- 
 sent and lie forth of her maisters house every other 
 night. This Geillies Duncane tooke in hand to 
 lielpe all such as were troubled or grieved with 
 anie kinde of sickness or infirmitie, and in short 
 5pace did performe many matters most miraculous ; 
 which things, forasmuche as she began to do them 
 upon a sodaine, having never done the like before, 
 made her maister and others to be in great admi- 
 ration, and wondered thereat : by meanes whereof 
 the saide David Seaton had his maide in great sus. 
 pition that shee did not those things by naturall 
 and lawfull waies, but rather supposed it to be done 
 by some extraordinarie and unlawfull meanes,
 
 FROM SCOTLAND. 10 
 
 Whereupon her raaister began to grow verie in- 
 quisitive, and examined her which way and by what 
 meanes shee was able to performe matters of so 
 great importance ; whereat shee gave him no aun- 
 swere : nevertheless, her maister to the intent that 
 hee might the better trie and finde out the truth 
 of the same, did with the help of others torment 
 her with the torture of the pilliwinkes upon her fin- 
 gers, which is a griveous torture, and binding or 
 \vrinching her head with a cord or roape, which is 
 a most cruel torment also, yet would shee not con- 
 fess anie thing ; whereupon they suspecting that 
 shee had beene marked by the devill (as commonly 
 witches are,) made diligent search about her, and 
 found the enemies mark to be in her fore crag, or 
 fore part of her throate ; which being found, shee 
 confessed that all her doings was done by the wick- 
 ed allurements and entisements of the devil, and 
 that shee did them by witchcraft. 
 
 After this her confession, shee was committed to 
 prison, where shee continued a season, where im- 
 mediately shee accused these persons following to 
 bee notorious witches, and caused them forthwith 
 to be apprehended, one after another, viz. Agnes 
 Sampson, the eldest witche of them all, dwelling in 
 Haddington ; Agnes Tompson of Edenbrough ; 
 Doctor Fian, alias John Cuningham, master of the 
 schoole at Saltpans in Lowthian, of whose life and 
 strange acts you shall heare more largely in the 
 end of this discourse. 
 
 These were by the saide Geillies Duncane ac- 
 cused, as also George Motts' wife, dwelling in Low-
 
 20 UEWS PROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 thian ; Robert Grierson, skipper ; and Jannet 
 Blandilands ; with the potters wife of Seaton ; the 
 smith at the Brigge Hal lies, with innumerable 
 others in those parts, and dwelling in those bounds 
 aforesaid, of whom some are alreadie executed, the 
 rest remaine in prison to receive the doome of judge- 
 ment at the Kinges Majesties will and pleasure. 
 
 The saide Geillies Duncane also caused Ewpha- 
 me Mecalrean to bee apprehended, who conspired 
 and performed the death of her godfather, and who 
 used her art upon a gentleman, being one of the 
 Lordes and Justices of the Session, for bearing 
 good-will to her daughter. Shee also caused to be 
 apprehended one Barbara Naper, for bewitching to 
 death Archbalde lait Earle of Angus, who lan- 
 guished to death by witchcraft, and yet the same 
 was not suspected ; but that he died of so strange a 
 disease as the phisition kriewe not how to cure or 
 remedie the same. But of all other the said witches, 
 these two last before recited, were reputed for as 
 civil honest women as anie that dwelled within the 
 cittie of Edenbrough, before they were apprehend- 
 ed. Many other besides were taken dwelling in 
 Lieth, who are detayned in prison until his Ma- 
 jesties further will and pleasure be knowne ; of 
 whose wicked dooings you shall particularly heare, 
 which was as followeth. 
 
 This aforesaide Agnes Sampson, which was the 
 elder witche, was taken and brought to Haliriud 
 House before the Kinges Majestic, and sundrie 
 other of the nobilitie of Scotland, where shee was 
 straytly examined ; but all the persuasions which
 
 NEWS PROM SCOTLAND. 21 
 
 the Kinges Majestic used to her, with the rest of 
 his counccll, might not provoke or induce her to 
 confess any thing, but stoode stiffley in the deniall 
 of all that was layde to her charge ; whereupon 
 they caused her to be conveyed away unto prison> 
 there to receive such torture as hath been lately 
 provided for witches in that countrie ; and for as 
 rnuche as by due examination of witchcraft and 
 witches in Scotland, it hath lately beene founde 
 that the devill dooth generally marke them with a 
 privie marke, by reason the witches have confessed 
 themselves, that the devill doth licke them with his 
 long in some privie part of their bodie, before he 
 dooth receive them to bee his servants, which marke 
 commonlie is given them under the haire in some 
 part of their bodie, whereby it may not easily "be 
 found out or scene, although they bee searched ; 
 and generally so long as the marke is not seene to 
 those which search them, so long the parties which 
 have the marke will never confess anie thing. 
 Therefore by special commandment this Agnes 
 Sampson had all her haire shaven off, n each part 
 of her bodie, and her head thrawane with a rope 
 according to the custome of that countrie, being a 
 payne most grieveous, which they continued almost 
 an hower, during which time shee would not confess 
 anie thing untill the divel's marke was founde upon 
 her privities, then shee immediately confessed what, 
 soever was demaunded of her, and justifiying those 
 persons aforesaide to be notorious witches. 
 
 Item, the said Agnes Sampson was after brought 
 againe before the Kinges Majestic and his councell,
 
 2 NEWS FHOM SCOTLAND. 
 
 and being examined of the meeting and detestable 
 dealings of those witches, shee confessed, that upon 
 the night of Allhallow Even last, shee was accom- 
 panied as well with the persons aforesaide, as also 
 with a great many other witches, to the number of 
 two hundreth, and that all they together went to 
 sea, each one in a riddle or cive, and went into the 
 same very substantially, with flaggons of wine, 
 making merrie and drinking by the way in the same 
 riddles or cives, to the Kirke of North Barrick in 
 Lowthian, and that after they had landed, tooke 
 hands on the lande and daunced this reill or short 
 daunce, singing all with one voice, 
 
 Commer goe ye before, commer goe ye, 
 Gifye will not goe before, commer let me. 
 At which time shee confessed, that this Geillies 
 Duncane did goe before them playing this reill 
 or daunce, uppon a small trumpe, called a Jewes 
 trumpe, untill they entred into the Kirke of North 
 Barricke. 
 
 These confessions made the Kinge in a wonder, 
 full admiration, and sent for the saide Geillie Dun- 
 cane, who upon the like trumpe did play the saide 
 daunce before the Kinges Majestic, who in respect 
 of the strangeness of these matters, tooke great de- 
 light to be present at their examinations. 
 
 Item, the said Agnes Sampson confessed, that the 
 devill, being then at North Barricke Kirke attend- 
 ing their coming, in the habit or likeness of a man, 
 and seeing that they tarried over long, hee at their 
 coming enjoined them all to a pennance, which was, 
 that they shoul^ kiss his buttockes, in sign of duty
 
 3JEWS FEOM SCOTLAND. 23 
 
 Co him ; which being put over the pulpit bare, every 
 one did as he had enjoined them : and having made 
 his ungodly exhortations, wherein he did greatly 
 inveigh against the Kinge of Scotland, he received 
 their oathes for their good and true service towards 
 him, and departed ; which done, they returned to 
 sea, and so home again. 
 
 At which time the witches demaunded of the 
 devill why he did beare such hatred to the Kinge ? 
 Who answered, by reason the Kinge is the greatest 
 enemie hee hath in the world. * All which their 
 confessions and depositions are still extant upon re- 
 cord. 
 
 Item, the saide Agnes Sampson confessed before 
 the Kinges Majestic sundrie things, which were so 
 miraculous and strange, as that his Majestic saide 
 they were all extreme liars ; whereat shee answer- 
 ed, shee would not wish his Majestic to suppose 
 her words to be false, but rather to believe them, 
 in that shee would discover such matters unto him 
 as his Majestic should not anie way doubt of. 
 
 And thereupon taking his Majestic a little aside, 
 shee declared unto him the verie wordes which pass- 
 ed between the Kinges Majestie and his Queene at 
 Upslo in Norway the first night of marriage, with 
 the answere ech to other ; whereat the Kinges Ma- 
 
 * James, who boasted that he was born in the purest church 
 on earth,' and whose courtiers called him ' the Childe of God,* 
 was no doubt highly gratified at this declaration of the devil's 
 hatred, because he was his greatest enemie on earth.' Thi3 
 was such a piece of flattery as suited the meridian of the mo- 
 narch's intellects ED.
 
 24 EWS FBOM SCOTLAND. 
 
 jestie wondered greatly, and swore by the living 
 God, that he believed all the devills in hell could 
 not have discovered the same, acknowledging her 
 words to be most true, and therefore gave the more 
 credit to the rest that is before declared. 
 
 Touching this Agnes Sampson, shee is the onlic 
 woman who by the devill's perswasion should have 
 intended and put in execution the Kinges Majesties 
 death in this manner. 
 
 Shee confessed that shee tooke a blacke toade, 
 and did hang the same up by the heeles three dales, 
 and collected and gathered the venome it dropped 
 and fell from it in ane oister shell, and kept the 
 same venome close covered, untill shee should ob- 
 iaine anie part or peece of foule linnen cloth that 
 had appertained to the Kinges Majestic, as shirt, 
 handkercher, napkin, or anie other thing, which shea 
 practised to obtaine by meanes of one John Kers, 
 who being attendant in his Majesties chamber, de- 
 sired him for old acquaintance between them, to 
 help her to one or a peece of such a cloth as is 
 aforesaide, which thing the saide John Kers denyed 
 to helpe her to, saying he coulde not helpe her un- 
 to it. 
 
 And the saide Agnes Sampson by her depositions 
 jince her apprehension, saith, that if shee had ob 
 tayned anie one peece of linnen cloth which the 
 Kinge had worne and fowlede, shee had bewitched 
 him to death, and put him to such extraordinarie 
 paines, as if he had been lying upon sharp thornes 
 and endes of needles. 
 
 Moreover shee confessed, that at the time when his
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 25 
 
 Majestic was in Denmarke, slice being accompanied 
 by the parties before speciallie named, tooke a cat 
 and christened it, and afterwarde bounde to each 
 part of that cat, the cheefest part of a dead man, 
 and several joynts of his bodie ; and that in the 
 night following, the saide cat was convayed into 
 the middest of the sea by all the witches, sayling 
 in their riddles or cives, as is aforesaid, and so left 
 the saide cat right before the towne of Lieth in 
 Scotland. This doone, there did arise such a tem- 
 pest in the sea, as a greater hath not beene scene ; 
 which tempest was the cause of the perishing of a 
 boat or vessel coming over from the towne of Brunt 
 Islande to the towne of Lieth, wherein was sundrie 
 jewelles and rich giftes, which should have been 
 presented to the now Queene of Scotland at her 
 Majesties coming to Lieth. 
 
 Againe it is confessed, that the said christened 
 cat was the cause that the Kinges Majesties shippe 
 at his coming forth of Denmarke had a contrarie 
 winde to the rest of his shippes then being in his 
 companie, which thing was most strange and true 
 as the Kinges Majestic acknowlegeth, for when the 
 rest of the shippes had a faire and good winde, then 
 was the winde contrarie and altogether against his 
 Majestic; and further, the sayde witche declared, 
 that his Majestic had never come safely from the 
 sea, if his faith had not prevayled above their in- 
 tentions. * 
 
 * It no doubt required the penetration of a witch to discover 
 the strength of James's faith, which prevailed against their in- 
 cantations, and saved him from perishing at sea. Those who 
 
 C
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 Moreover, the saide witches being demaunded 
 how the divell would use them when he was in their 
 companie, they confessed, that when the divel did 
 recyeve theme for his serventes, and that they had 
 vowed themselves unto him, then he woulde car- 
 nally use them, albeit to their little pleasure, in re- 
 spect to his colde nature, * and would doe the like 
 at sundrie other times. 
 
 As touching the aforesaide Doctor Fian, alias 
 John Cunningham, the examination of his actes 
 since his apprehension, declareth the great subtel- 
 tie of the divell, and therefore maketh thinges to 
 appeare the more miraculous ; for being appre- 
 hended by the accusation of the saide Geillies 
 Duncane aforesaide, who confessed he was their 
 register, and that there was not one man suffered 
 to come to the divel's readinges but onlie hee, the 
 saide Doctor was taken and imprisoned, and used 
 with the accustomed paine provided for those of- 
 fences, inflicted upon the rest as is aforesaide. 
 
 First) by thrawing of his head with a rope, 
 whereat he would confess nothing. 
 
 conducted the examination of the witches, no doubt knew well 
 enough how to extract this little piece of delicate flattery from 
 the hags, so gratifying to the palate of their master. ED. 
 
 * In the records of the kirk-session of Torryburn, in Fife- 
 shire, so late as 1 103, is the confession of one Lillias Eddie, a 
 supposed witch, who immediately after she had been initiated 
 in the infernal mysteries, was taken behind a stook, it (being 
 harvest time), and carressed by the devil. She likewise com- 
 plains that his embraces were cold and unsatisfactory. The 
 gross indelicacy of such stories are only to be equalled by their 
 absurdity. "What a picture does it present to readers of the 
 present day, of the manners of that age, when such topics could 
 be gravely discussed by the King in councill ! !
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 27 
 
 Secondly, hee was persuaded by faire meanes to 
 confesse his follies, but that would prevail as little. 
 
 Lastly, hee was put to the most severe and cruell 
 paine in the worlde, called the bootes, who, after he 
 had received three strokes, being inquired if hee 
 would confess his damnable actes and wicked life, 
 his toong would not serve him to speake, in respect 
 whereof the rest of the witches willed to searche his 
 toong, under which was found two pinnes thurst up 
 into the heade ; whereupon the witches did say, 
 now is the charm stinted, and shewed, that those 
 charmed pinnes were the cause he could not confesse 
 any thing : then was he immediately released of the 
 bootes, brought before the King, his confession was 
 taken, and his own hand willingly set thereunto, 
 which contained as followeth : 
 
 First, that at the generall meetinges of those 
 witches, he was always present, that he was clarke 
 to all those that were in subjection to the divel's 
 service, bearing the name of witches, that always 
 hee did take their oathes for their true service to 
 the divel, and that he wrote for them such matters 
 as the divel still pleased to command him. 
 
 Item, hee confessed that by his witchcraft hee did 
 bewitch a gentleman dwelling neare to the Saltpans, 
 where the said Doctor kept schoole, only for being 
 enamoured of a gentlewoman whome he loved him- 
 self ; by meanes of which his sorcery, witchcraft, 
 and divelish practices, hee caused the said gentle- 
 man that once in xxiiii howers he fell into a lunacy* 
 and madness, and so continued one whole hower 
 together ; and for the veritie of the sarae^ he caused
 
 8 XEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 the gentleman to be brought before the Kinges Ma- 
 jestie, which was upon the xxiiii day of December 
 last, and being in his Majesties chamber, suddenly 
 hee gave a great scritch, and fell into madness, 
 sometime bending himself, and sometime capering 
 so directly up, that his heade did touch the seeling 
 of the chamber, to the great admiration of his Ma- 
 jestie and others then present ; so that all the gen- 
 tlemen in the chamber were not able to hold him, 
 untill they called in more helpe, who together bound 
 him hand and foot ; and suffering the said gentle- 
 man to lie still until his furie were past, hee within 
 an hower came againe to himselfe, when being 
 demaunded by the Kinges Majestie what he saw or 
 did all that while, answered, that he had been in a 
 sounde sleepe. 
 
 Item, the saide Doctor did also confesse, that hee 
 had used meanes sundrie times to obtaine his pur- 
 pose and wicked intent of the same gentlewoman, 
 and seeing himselfe disappointed of his intention, 
 hee determined by all wayes hee might to obtaine 
 the same, trusting by conjuring, witchraft, and sor- 
 cerie, to obtaine it in this manner. 
 
 It happened this gentlewoman being unmarried, 
 had a brother who went to schoole with the saide 
 Doctor, and calling the saide scholler to him, de- 
 maunded if hee did lie with his sister, who answer- 
 ed he did, by meanes whereof he thought to obtain 
 his purpose, and therefore secretly promised to 
 teach him without stripes, so he woulde obtaine for 
 him three hairs of his sister's privitees, at such time 
 as hee should spie best occasion for it ; which the
 
 NEWS FllOM SCOTLAND. %M 
 
 youth promised faithfully to performe, and vowed 
 speedily to put it in practice, taking a piece of con- 
 jured paper of his maister to lap them in when hee 
 had gotten them ; and thereupon the boy practised 
 nightly to obtaine his maister's purpose, especially 
 when his sister was asleep. 
 
 But God, who knoweth the secret of all harts, 
 and revealeth all wicked and ungodly practices, 
 would not suffer the intents of this divelish Doctor 
 to come to that purpose which hee supposed it 
 woulde, and therefore to declaire that hee was 
 heavily offended with his wicked intent, did so work 
 by the gentlewoman's own meanes, that in the endc 
 the same was discovered and brought to light ; 
 for shee being one night asleep, and her brother in 
 bed with her, sodainly cried out to her mother, de- 
 claring that her brother woulde not suffer her to 
 sleepe ; whereupon, her mother having a quicke ca- 
 paeitie, did vehemently suspect Doctor Han's in- 
 tention, by reason shee was a witch of herself, and 
 therefore presently arose, and was very inquisitive 
 of the boy to understand his intent, and the better 
 to know the same, did beat him with sundrie stripes, 
 whereby hee discovered the truth unto her. 
 
 The mother, therefore, being well practised in 
 witchcraft, did thinke it most convenient to meete 
 with the Doctor in his owne arte, and thereupon 
 took the paper from the boy wherein hee would 
 have put the same haires, and went to a yong 
 heyf'er which never had borne calf, nor gone unto 
 the bull, and with a paire of sheeres clipped off 
 three haires from the udder of the cow, and wrapt
 
 30 XEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 them in the same paper, which shee again deliver- 
 ed to the boy, then willing him to give the same to 
 his saide maister, which hee immediately did. 
 
 The schoole maister, so, soone as he did recieve 
 them, thinking them indeede to be the maids haires, 
 went straight and wrought his arte upon them : 
 But the Doctor had no sooner done his intent to 
 them, but presently the hayfer cow, whose haires 
 they were indeede, came unto the door of the 
 church wherein the schoole maister was, into the 
 which the hayfer went, and made towards the 
 schoole maister, leaping and dancing upon him, 
 and following him forth of the church, and to what 
 place soever he went, to the great admiration of all 
 the townsmen of Saltpans, and many others who 
 did behold the same. 
 
 The report whereof made all men imagine that 
 hee did worke it by the divel, without whome it 
 coulde never have been so sufficiently effected ; and 
 thereupon the name of the saide Doctor Fian (who 
 was but a young man), began to grow common 
 among the people of Scotland, that he was secretly 
 nominated for a notable conjurer. 
 
 All which, although in the beginning he denied, 
 and woulde not confesse, yet having felt the paine 
 of the bootes, * (and the charme stinted as afore- 
 saide) hee confessed all the aforesaide to be most 
 
 * We have no doubt that the bootes were a most efficacious 
 engine to procure a confession, and the Doctor would most 
 likely have confessed that he had the inoon in bis pocket by the 
 same means. ED.
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND 31 
 
 true, without producing any witnesses to justifie 
 the same ; and thereupon before the Kings Majes- 
 tie hee subscribed the sayd confessione with his 
 owne hande, which for truth remaineth upon re- 
 cord in Scotland. 
 
 After that the depositions and examinations of 
 the sayd Doctor Fian, alias Cuningham, was taken, 
 as alreddie is declared, with his own hand willingly 
 set thereunto, hee was by the maister of the prison 
 commited to ward, and appointed to a chamber by 
 himselfe, where foresaking his wicked wayes, ac- 
 knowledging his most ungodly life, shewing that 
 hee had too much followed the allurements and en- 
 ticements of Sathan, and fondly practised his con- 
 clusions by conjuring, witchcraft, inchantment, 
 sorcerie, and such like, he renounced the divel and 
 all his wicked workes, vowed to lead the lyfe of a 
 Christian, and seemed newly converted towards 
 God. 
 
 The morrow after, upon conference had with 
 him, hee granted that the divel had appeared unto 
 him in the night before, appareled all in blacke, 
 with a white wande in his hande ; and that the di- 
 vel demanded of him if hee woulde continue his 
 faithfull service, according to his first oath and pro- 
 mise made to that effect. Whome (as hee then 
 saide), hee utterly renounced to his face, and said 
 unto him in this manner, avoide, Satan, avoide, for 
 I have listened too much unto thee, and by the same 
 thou hast undone me, in respect whereof I utterly 
 forsake thee : To whome the divel answered, that 
 once ere thou die thou shalt bee mine ; and with
 
 32 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 that (as hee sayd), the divel brake the white wande, 
 and immediately vanished forth of his sight. 
 
 Thus all the daie this Doctor Fian continued 
 verie solitarie, and seemed to have a care of his 
 owne soule, and would call upon God, shewing 
 himselfe penitent for his wicked lyfe ; nevertheless, 
 the same night hee found such meanes that he stole 
 the key of the prison doore and chamber in which 
 he was, which in the night he opened and fled 
 awaie to the Saltpans, where he was alwayes resi- 
 dent, and first apprehended. Of whose sodaine 
 departure when the Kings Majestic had intelli- 
 gence, hee presently caused dilligent inquirie to 
 be made for his apprehension ; and for the better 
 effecting thereof, hee sent public proclamations into 
 all parts of his land to the same effect. By meanes 
 of whose hot and harde pursuite he was again 
 taken and brought to prison ; and then being call- 
 ed before the Kings Highness, he was reexamined 
 as well touching his departure, as also touching all 
 that had before happened. 
 
 But this Doctor, notwithstanding that his owne 
 confession appeareth remaining in recorde under 
 his owne hande writting, and the same thereunto 
 fixed in the presence of the Kings Majestic and 
 sundrie of his councill, yet did he utterly denie the 
 same. 
 
 Thereupon the Kings Majestic percieving his 
 stubborne willfullness, concieved and imagined that 
 in the time of his absence hee had entered into 
 newe conference and league with the dwell his 
 maister ; and that hee had beene again newely
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 33 
 
 marked, for the which he was narrowly searched, 
 but it coulde not in anie waie be founde ; yet for 
 more tryal of him to make him confesse, he was 
 commanded to have a most strange torment, which 
 was done in this manner following. 
 
 His nails upon all his fingers were riven and 
 pulled off* with an instrument called in Scottich a 
 Turkas, which in England we call a pay re of pin- 
 cers, and under everie nayle there was thrust in 
 thro needels over even up to the heads. At all 
 which torments notwithstanding the Doctor never 
 shronke anie whit, neither would he then confesse 
 it the sooner for all the tortures inflicted upon him. 
 
 Then was hee with all convenient speede, by 
 commandment, convaied againe to the torment of 
 the bootes, wherein hee continued a long time, 
 and did abide so many blows in them, that his 
 legges were crusht and beaten together as small as 
 might bee, and the bones and flesh so bruised, that 
 the blood and marrow spouted forth in great a- 
 bundance, whereby they were made unserviceable 
 for ever. And notwithstanding all these grievous 
 paines and cruel torments hee woulde not confesse 
 anie thing, so deeply had the divel entered into his 
 hart, that hee utterly denied that which he before 
 avouched, and would saie nothing thereunto but 
 this, that what hee had done and sayde before, 
 was only done and sayde for fear of paynes which 
 he had endured. 
 
 Upon great consideration, therefore, taken by 
 the Kings Majestie and his councell, as well for 
 the due execution of justice upon such detestable
 
 34 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 
 
 malefactors, as also for examples sake, to remayne 
 a terrour to all others hereafter that shall attempt 
 to deale in the lyke wicked and ungodlye actions, 
 as witchcraft, sorcerie, cunjuration, and such lyke, 
 the saide Doctor Fian was soon after arraigned, 
 condemned, and adjudged by the law to die, and 
 then to be burned according to the lawe of that 
 lande provided in that behalfe. Whereupon he 
 was put into a carte, and being first stranguled, hee 
 was immediately put into a great fire, being readie 
 provided for that purpose, and there burned in the 
 Castile Hill of Edenbrough, on a Saterdaie in the 
 ende of Januarie last past, 1591. 
 
 The rest of the witches which are not yet exe- 
 cuted, remayne in prison till farther triall and 
 knowledge of his Majesties pleasure. 
 
 This strange discourse before recited, may per- 
 haps give some occasion of doubt to such as shall 
 happen to reade the same, and thereby conjecture 
 that the Kings Majestic would hazzarde himselfe 
 in the presence of such notorious witches, least 
 thereby might have ensued great danger to his 
 person and the general state of the land, which 
 thing in truth might wel have beene feared. But 
 to answer generally to such let this suffice ; that 
 first it is well known that the King is the child and 
 servant of God, and they but the servants to the 
 devil ; he is the Lord's anointed, and they but 
 vesseles of God's wrath ; hee is a true Christian, 
 and trusteth in God ; they worse than infidels, for 
 they only trust in the divel, who daily serve them,
 
 NEWS FROM SCOTLAND. 35 
 
 lill hee have brought them to utter destruction. 
 But hereby it seemeth that his Highness carried 
 a magnanimous and undaunted mind, not feared 
 with their inchantments, but resolute in this, that 
 so long as God is with him hee feareth not who is 
 against him ; and trulie, the whole scope of this 
 Treatise dooth so plainlie laie open the wonderfull 
 Providence of the Almightie, that if hee had not 
 been defended by his omnipotence and power, his 
 Highness had never returned alive in his voiage 
 from Denmarke, so there is no doubt but God 
 woulde as well defend him on the land as on the 
 sea, where they pretended their damnable practice. 
 
 FINIS.
 
 ANOTHER 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FOREGOING TRANSACTIONS, 
 
 Extracted from SIR JAMES MELVIL'S Memoirs, 
 page 388, octavo edition. 
 
 ABOUT this time many witches were taken in 
 Lothian, who deposed concerning some design of 
 the Earl of Both well's against his Majesty's person. 
 Which coming to the said Earl's ears, he entered 
 in ward within the Castle of Edinburgh, desiring 
 to be tried, alledging that the devil, who was a 
 liar from the beginning, ought not to be credited, 
 nor yet the witches, his sworn servants. Especi- 
 ally a renowned midwife called Amy Simson affirm- 
 ed, that she, in company with nine other witches, 
 being convened in the night beside Prestonpans, 
 the devil their master being present, standing in 
 the midst of them, a body of wax, shapen and 
 made by the said Amy Simson, wrapped within a 
 linnen clojh, was first delivered to the devil ; who, 
 after he had pronounced his verdict, delivered the 
 said picture to Amy Simson, and she to her next 
 neighbour, and so every one round about, saying,
 
 EXTKACTS FROM MELVIL's MEMOIBS. 3T 
 
 This is King James VI. ordered to be consumed at 
 tlie instance of a nobleman, Francis Earl Bothwell. 
 Afterward again at their meeting by night in the 
 kirk of North Berwick, where the devil, clad in a 
 black gown, with a black hat upon his head, preach- 
 ed unto a great number of them out of the pulpit, 
 having light candles round about him. 
 
 The effect of his language was to know what 
 hurt they had done ; how many they had gained to 
 their opinion since the last meeting ; what success 
 the melting of the picture had, and such other vain 
 things. And because an old silly poor ploughman, 
 called Gray Meilt, chanced to say, that nothing ail- 
 ed the King yet, God be thanked, the devil gave 
 him a great blow. Thus divers among them en- 
 tred in reasoning, marvelling that all their devilry 
 could do no harm to the King, as it had done to 
 divers others. The devil answered, il est un horn- 
 me de Dieu, certainly he is a man of God, and does 
 no wrong wittingly, but he is inclined to all God- 
 liness, justice, and vertue, therefore God hath pre- 
 served him in the midst of many dangers. * Now, 
 after that the devil had ended his admonitions, he 
 came down out of the pulpit, and caused all the 
 company come kiss his arse ; which they said was 
 cold like ice, his body hard like iron, as they 
 
 * It was certainly very kind in the devil thus to vouch for 
 James's being ' a man of God, and one who did no wrong wit- 
 tingly, but was inclined to all Godliness, Justice, and Virtue.' 
 This is a most excellent character. But posterity are inclined 
 to be of Earl Bothwell's opinion, that the devil is a liar, and 
 ought not to be credited. ED. 
 D
 
 38 EXTRACTS FROM MELVIL's MEMOIRS. 
 
 thought who handled him, his face was terrible, 
 his nose like the beak of an eagle, great burning 
 eyes, his hands and his legs were hoary, with claws 
 upon his hands and feet like the griffin ; he spoke 
 with a low voice. 
 
 The tricks and tragedies he played then among 
 so many men and women in this country, will hard- 
 ly get credit by posterity ; the history whereof, 
 with their whole depositions, was written by Mr 
 James Carmichael, minister of Haddington. * A- 
 mong other things, some of them did shew, that 
 there was a westland man, called Richard Graham, 
 who had a familiar spirit, the which Richard they 
 said could both do and tell many things, chiefly 
 against the Earl of Bothwell. Whereupon the said 
 Richard Graham was apprehended and brought to 
 Edinburgh ; and, being examined before his Ma- 
 jesty, I being present, he granted that he had a fa- 
 miliar spirit which shewed him sundrie things, but 
 he denied that he was a witch, or had any frequen- 
 tation with them. But when it was answered 
 again, how that Amy Simson had declared, that 
 he caused the Earl of Bothwell address him to her, 
 he granted that to be true, and that the Earl of 
 Bothwell had knowledge of him by Effe Machal- 
 loun and Barbary Napier, Edinburgh women. 
 Whereupon he was sent for by the Earl Bothwell, 
 who required his help to cause the Kings Majesty 
 his master to like well of him. And to that effect 
 
 * This probably is the author of the foregoing True Dis- 
 course.' ED.
 
 EXTRACTS FROM MELVIL*S MEMOIRS. 89 
 
 he gave the said Earl some drug or herb, willing 
 him at some convenient time to touch therewith his 
 Majesty's face. Which being done by the said 
 Earl ineffectually, he dealt again with the said 
 Richard to get his Majesty wrecked, as Richard 
 alledged ; who said, he could not do such things 
 himself, but that a notable midwife, who was a 
 witch, called Amy Simson, could bring any such 
 purpose to pass. Thus far the said Richard Gra- 
 ham affirmed divers times before the council ; 
 nevertheless, he was burnt with the said Simson, 
 and many other witches. This Richard alledged, 
 that it was certain what is reported of the fairies, 
 and that spirits may take a form, and be seen, 
 though not felt.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 FROM the foregoing < True Discourse,"* it will 
 be seen what an active part James took in the exa- 
 mination of Doctor Fian and the other witches. 
 From this source he most probably collected those 
 materials which he has wrought up into a Daemon- 
 ologie, a work which no doubt contributed to ob- 
 tain for him from the English bishops, the appela- 
 tion of * the British Solomon? In this work he 
 appears to be more intimately acquainted with the 
 internal polity of the Demi's kingdom, than he was 
 with his own. The kingdom of Satlwn was then 
 in its zenith of power ; but, like other states and 
 kingdoms, it has sunk into great weakness and de- 
 bility. The ' horrid diet,' who could then make 
 the greatest personages shake in their shoes, cannot 
 now frighten a child ; and the ' roaring- lion? who 
 used to be going about seeking whom he might de- 
 vour, must surely be a better housekeeper than 
 formerly, as he is never seen abroad, even by an 
 old woman.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. xli 
 
 From the Daemonologie we have made copious 
 extracts, that our readers may have an idea of the 
 days of i langsynej when there was plenty of diets., 
 witches, fairies, and water kelpies, all over the 
 country. Those, therefore, who are anxious to 
 know how affairs are managed in the ( kingdom of 
 darkness, 1 and can rely on the word of a king for 
 the truth of it, will be here amply gratified. 
 So, courteous reader, I bid thee farewell, 
 
 The EDITOR.
 
 EXTRACTS 
 
 FROM 
 
 KING JAMES'S DAEMONOLOGIE, 
 
 SORCERY AND WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 The First Entresse and Prentiship of them that 
 give themselves to Witchcraft. 
 
 THE persons that give themselves to witchcraft, 
 are of two sorts, rich and of better accompt, poore 
 and of baser degree. These two degrees answere 
 to the passions in them, which the divell uses as 
 meanes to entice them to his service ; for such of 
 them as are in great miserie and povertie, he allures 
 to follow him, by promising unto them great riches 
 and worldly commoditie. Such as though rich, yet 
 burne in a desperate desire of revenge, he allures 
 them by promises to get their turne satisfied to 
 their hearts contentment. It is to be noted now, 
 that that olde and craftie enemie of ours assailes 
 none, though touched with any of these two extre- 
 mities, except he first finde an entresse ready for 
 him, either by the great ignorance of the person he 
 deales with, joyned with an evill life, or else by 
 their carelessnesse and contempt of God. And
 
 EXTEACTS FROM DAEMOXOLOGIE. 43 
 
 imding them in an utter despaire, he prepares the 
 way by feeding them craftely in their humour, and 
 filling them further and further with despaire, 
 while hee finde the time proper to discover himself 
 unto them. At which time, either upon their walk- 
 ing solitarie in the fieldes, or else lying pausing in 
 their bed, but alwaies without the company of any 
 other, hee, either by a voyce, or in likenesse of a 
 man, inquires of them what troubles them, and 
 promiseth them a suddaine and certaine way of 
 remedie, upon condition, on the other part, that 
 they follow his advise, and doe such things as he 
 will require of them. Their mindes being pre- 
 pared beforehand, they easily agree unto that de- 
 mand of his, and syne sets another tryist where 
 they may meete againe. At which time, before 
 hee proceede any further with them, hee first per- 
 swades them to addict themselves to his service, 
 which being easily obtained, he then discovers what 
 he is unto them, makes them to renounce their 
 God and baptisme directly, and gives them his 
 rnarke upon some secret place of their bodie, which 
 remaines soare unhealed while his next meeting 
 with them, and thereafter ever insensible, howso- 
 ever it be nipped or pricked by any, as is daily 
 prooved, to give them a proofe thereby, that as in 
 that doing he could hurt and heale them, so all 
 their ill and well doing thereafter must depend 
 upon him ; and, besides that, the intolerable do- 
 lour that they feele in that place where he hath 
 marked them, serves to waken them, and not to let 
 them rest, while their next meeting againe ; fearing
 
 44 3EXTEACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 lest otherwaies they might either forget him, being 
 as new prentises, and not well enough founded yet 
 in that fiendly follie ; or else remembering of that 
 horrible promise they made him at their last meet- 
 ing, they might skunner at the same, and presse 
 to call it backe. At their third meetinge, hee 
 makes a shew to be carefull to performe his pro- 
 mises, either by teaching them waies how to get 
 themselves revenged, if they be of that sort, or else 
 by teaching them lessons how by most vile and 
 unlawfull meanes they may obtaine gaine and 
 worldly commoditie, if they be of the other sort. 
 
 The Witches actions divided into two parts The 
 actions proper to their o&n persons The forme 
 of their Conventions and adoring of their Master. 
 
 THEIH actions may be divided into two parts ; 
 the actions of their owne persons, and the actions 
 proceeding from them towards any other ; and this 
 division being well understood, will easily resolve 
 what is possible to them to doe. For although 
 all that they confesse is no lie upon their part, 
 yet doubtlesly, in my opinion, a part of it is not 
 indeede according as they take it to be, for the 
 divell illudes the senses of these schollers of his in 
 many things. 
 
 To the effect that they may performe such ser- 
 vices of their false master as he employs them in, 
 the devill, as God's ape, counterfeits in his servants 
 this service and forme of adoration that God pre-
 
 EXTRACTS FROM' DAEMONOLOGIE. 45 
 
 scribed and made his servants to practise ; for as 
 the servants of God publikely use to conveene for 
 serving of him, so makes he them in great numbers 
 to conveene (though publikely they dare not), for 
 his service. As none conveenes to the adoration 
 and worshipping of God, except they be marked 
 with his seale, the sacrament of baptisme ; so none 
 serves Satan, and conveenes to the adoring of him, 
 tli at are not marked with that marke whereof I al- 
 readie spake. As the minister sent by God teach- 
 eth plainely at the time of their publike conven- 
 tions, how to serve him in spirit and trewth, so 
 that unclean spirit, in his owne person, teacheth his 
 disciples at the time of their conveening, how to 
 worke all kind of mischiefe, and craves coumpt of 
 all their horrible and detestable proceedings passed 
 for advancement of his service : Yea, that hee may 
 the more vilely counterfeit and scorne God, he oft 
 times makes his slaves to conveene in these very 
 places which are destinate and ordained for the 
 conveening of the servants of God, (I meane by 
 churches.) But this farre which I have yet said, 
 I not onely take it to be trew in their opinions, but 
 even so to be indeed ; for the forme that he used 
 in counterfeiting God amongst the Gentiles, makes 
 me so to think ; as God spake by his oracles, spake 
 he not so by his ? As God had as well bloodie sac- 
 rifices, as others without blood, had not he the 
 like ? As God had churches sanctified to his ser- 
 vice, with altars, priests, sacrifices, ceremonies, and 
 prayers, had he not the like polluted to his service ? 
 As God gave responses by Urim and Thummim,
 
 46 EXTRACTS FEOM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 gave he not his responses by the intralles of beasts, 
 by the singing of fowles, and by their actions in the 
 aire ? As God by visions, dreames, and extasies, 
 revealed what was to come, and what was his will 
 unto his servants, used hee not the like meanes to 
 forewarne his slaves of things to come ? Yea, even 
 as God loved cleanenesse, hated vice and impuritie, 
 and appointed punishments therefore, used he not 
 the like, (though falsly I grant, and but in eschew- 
 ing the lesse inconvenience, to draw them upon a 
 greater), yet dissimulated he not, I say, so farre as 
 to appoint his priests to keepe their bodies cleane 
 and undefined, before their asking responses of him ? 
 And fained he not God, to be a protectour of every 
 vertue, and a just revenger of the contrarie ? This 
 reason then mooves me, that as he is that same di- 
 vell, and as crafty now as he was then, so will he 
 not spare as pertly in these actions that I have 
 spoken of concerning the witches'" persons ; but fur- 
 ther, witches oft times confesse, not only his con- 
 veening in the church with them, but his occupy- 
 ing of the pulpit : Yea, their forme of adoration to 
 be the kissing of his hinder parts, which, though it 
 seeme ridiculous, yet may it likewise be trew, see- 
 ing we reade that in Calicute he appeared in forme 
 of a goat-bucke, hath publikely that unhonest ho- 
 mage done unto him by every one of the people. 
 So ambitious is he, and greedy of honour, (which 
 procured his fall) that he will even imitate God in 
 that part where it is said, that Moyses could see 
 but the hinder parts of God for the brightnesse of 
 his glory.
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 47 
 
 What are the wayes possible wJiereby the Witches 
 may transport themselves to places Jarre distant ? 
 And what are Impossible and meere Illusions 
 of Satan ? 
 
 PHI. But by what way say they, or thinke yee 
 it possible, they can come to these unlawfull con- 
 ventions ? * 
 
 EPI.- There is the thing which I esteeme their 
 senses to be deluded in, and though they lie not in 
 confessing of it, because they thinke it to be trew, 
 yet not to be so in substance or effect ; for they say, 
 that by divers meanes they may conveene, either to 
 the adoring of their master, or to the putting in 
 practise any service of his committed unto their 
 charge ; one way is naturall, which is naturall rid- 
 ing, going, or sailing, at what houre their master 
 comes and advertises them ; and this way may be 
 easily beleeved ; another way is somewhat more 
 strange, and yet it is possible to bee trew, which is, 
 by being caried by the force of the spirit, which is 
 their conducter, either above the earth, or above 
 the sea, swiftly to the place where they are to meet ; 
 which I am perswaded to bee likewise possible, in 
 respect, that as Habakkuk was carried by the angel 
 in that forme to the den where Daniel lay, so I 
 thinke the divell will be readie to imitate God as 
 well in that as in other things ; which is much more 
 
 * The Daemonologie is written by way of dialogue, in which 
 Philomathes and Epistemon reason the matter.
 
 48 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 possible to him to doe, being a spirit, then to a 
 mighty wind, being but a naturall meteore to trans- 
 port from one place to another a solide body, as is 
 commonly and daily scene in practise ; but in this 
 violent forme they cannot be caried but a short 
 bounds, agreeing with the space that they may re- 
 tain their breath, tor if it were longer, their breath 
 could not remain unextinguished, their body being 
 caried in such a violent and forcible manner ; as by 
 example, if one fall off a small height, his life is but 
 in perill, according to the hard or soft lighting ; but 
 if one fall from an high and stay rocke, his breath 
 will be forcibly banished from the body before he 
 can win to the earth, as is oft scene by experience ; 
 and in this transporting they say themselves, that 
 they are invisible to any other, except amongst 
 themselves, which may also be possible in my opi- 
 nion ; for if the devill may forme what kinde of 
 impressions he pleases in the aire, why may he not 
 farre easilier thicken and obscure so the aire that 
 is next about them, by contracting it straite toge- 
 ther, that the beames of any other man's eyes can- 
 not pierce throw the same to see them ? But the 
 third way of their comming to their conventions is 
 that wherein I thinke them deluded ; for some of 
 them say, that being transformed in the likenesse 
 of a little beast or foule, they will come and pierce 
 through whatsoever house or church, though all 
 ordinarie passages be closed, by whatsoever open 
 the aire may enter in at ; and some say, that their 
 bodies lying still, as in an extasie, their spirits will 
 be ravished out of their bodies, and caried to such
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 49 
 
 places ; and for verifying thereof, will give evident 
 tokens, as well by witnesses that have seene their 
 body lying senseless in the mean time, as by nam- 
 ing persons with whom they met, and giving tokens 
 what purpose was amongst them, whom otherwise 
 they could not have known ; for this forme of jour- 
 neying they affirme to use most, when they are 
 transported from one countrey to another. 
 
 PHI. But the reasons that moove me to thinke 
 that these are meere illusions, are these first, for 
 them that are transformed in likenesse of beasts or 
 foules, can enter through so narrow passages, al- 
 though I may easily beleeve that the divell could 
 by his workmanship upon the aire, make them ap- 
 peare to be in such formes, either to themselves, or 
 to others ; yet how can he contract a solide body 
 within so little room ? I think it is directly contrary 
 to itselfe ; for to be made so little, and yet not di- 
 minished ; to be so straitly drawn together, and yet 
 feele no paine, I thinke it is so contrary to the qua- 
 litie of a naturall bodie, and so like to the little 
 transubstantiate god in the Papists masse, that I 
 can never beleeve it. So to have a quantitie, is so 
 proper to a solide body, that as all philosophers 
 conclude, it cannot be any more without one, then 
 a spirit can have one ; for when Peter came out of 
 the prison, and the doores all locked, it was not by 
 any contracting of his body in so little roome, but 
 by the giving place of the doore, though unespied 
 by the gaylors ; and yet is there no comparison, 
 when this is done, betwixt the power of God and 
 of the divel. As to their forme of extasie and spi- 
 E
 
 50 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 rituall transporting, it is certaine the soules going 
 out of the body, is the onely definition of naturall 
 death ; and who are once dead, God forbid we 
 should thinke that it should lie in the power of all 
 the divels in hell to restore them to their life again, 
 although he can put his owne spirit in a dead body, 
 for that is the office properly belonging to God ; 
 and, besides that, the soule once parting from the 
 body, cannot wander any longer in the world, but 
 to the owne resting place must it goe immediately, 
 abiding the conjunction of the body again at the 
 latter day. And what Christ or the prophets did 
 miraculously in this case, it can in no Christian 
 man's opinion be made common with the divel. As 
 for any tokens that they give for proving of this, 
 it is very possible to the divel's craft to perswade 
 them to these meanes ; for he being a spirit, may 
 he not so ravish their thoughts, and dull their 
 senses, that their body lying as dead, he may ob- 
 ject to their spirits, as it were in a dreame, and re- 
 present such formes of persons, of places, and other 
 circumstances, as he pleases to illude them with ? 
 Yea, that he may deceive them with the greater 
 cfficacie, may he not, at the same instant, by fellow 
 angels of his, illude such other persons so in that 
 same fashion, with whom hee makes them to be- 
 leeve that they mette, that all their reports and 
 tokens, though severally examined, may every one 
 agree with another ? And that whatsoever actions, 
 either in hurting men or beasts, or whatsoever other 
 thing that they falsly imagine at that time to have 
 done, may by himselfe or his marrowes at that
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 5l 
 
 same time be done indeed ; so as if they would 
 give for a token of their being ravished at the death 
 of such a person within so short a space thereafter, 
 whom they beleeve to have poisoned or witched at 
 that instant, might he not at that same houre have 
 smitten that same person, by the permission of 
 God, to the farther deceiving of them, and to 
 moove others to beleeve them ? And this is surely 
 the likelyest way, and most according to reason, 
 which my judgement can finde out in this and 
 whatsoever other unnatural points of their confes- 
 sion. 
 
 Witches actions towards others Why there are more 
 
 Women of that Craft then Men What things are 
 
 possible to them to effectuate by the power of their 
 
 Master -What is the surest remedy of the harmes 
 
 done by them. 
 
 PHI. FORSOOTH your opinion in this seems to 
 cary most reason with it ; and since ye have ended 
 then the actions belonging properly to their owne 
 persons, say forward now to their actions used to- 
 wards others. 
 
 EPI. In their actions used towards others, three 
 things ought to be considered ; first, the manner 
 of their consulting thereupon ; next, their part as 
 instruments ; and, last, their master's part, who 
 puts the same in execution. As to their consultations 
 thereupon, they use them oftest in the churches, 
 where they conveene for adoring ; at which time
 
 52 EXTRACTS FfiOM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 their master enquiring at them what they would be 
 at, every one of them propones unto him what 
 wicked turne they would have done, either for ob- 
 taining of riches, or for revenging them upon any 
 whom they have malice at ; who granting their de- 
 maund, as no doubt willingly he will, since it is to 
 doe evill, hee teacheth them the meanes whereby 
 they may doe the same. As for little trifling turnes 
 that women have adoe with, he causeth them to 
 joynt dead corpses, and to make powders thereof, 
 mixing such other things thereamongst as h^ gives 
 unto them. 
 
 PHI. But before ye goe further, permit me, I 
 pray you, to interrupt you one word, which ye have 
 put me in memorie of by speaking of women ; 
 What can be the cause that there are twentie wo- 
 men given to that craft where there is one man ? 
 
 EPI. The reason is easie, for as that sexe is 
 frailer than man is, so is it easier to be intrapped 
 in these grosse snares of the divell, as was over- 
 well prooved to be trew, by the serpent's deceiving 
 of Eve at the beginning, which makes him the ho- 
 melier with that sexe sensine. 
 
 PHI. Returne now where ye left. 
 
 EPI. To some others at these times he teaeheth 
 how to make pictures of waxe or clay, that by the 
 roasting thereof, the persons that they beare the 
 name of may be continually melted or dried away 
 by continuall sicknesse. To some he gives such 
 stones or pouders as will helpe to cure or cast on 
 diseases; and to some hee teacheth kindes of un- 
 couth poysons, which mediciners understand not ;
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 53 
 
 not that any of these meanes which he teacheth 
 them (except the poysons, which are composed of 
 things naturall), can of themselves helpe any thing 
 to these turnes that they are employed in, but onely 
 being God's ape, as well in that, as in all other 
 things. Even as God by his sacraments, which are 
 earthly of themselves, workes a heavenly eifect, 
 though no waves by any cooperation in them ; and 
 as Christ by clay and spettle wrought together, 
 opened the eyes of the blinde man, suppose there was 
 no vertue in that which he outwardly applied, so 
 the divel will have his outward meanes to be shewes 
 as it were of his doing, which hath no part or co- 
 operation in his turnes with him, how farre that 
 ever the ignorants be abused in the contrarie. And 
 as to the effects of these two former parts, to wit^ 
 the consultations and the outward meanes, they are 
 so wonderfull, as I dare not alledge any of them 
 without joy ning a sufficient reason of the possibilitie 
 thereof; for leaving all the small trifles among 
 wives, and to speake of the principall points of their 
 craft, for the common trifles thereof, they can doe 
 without converting well enough by themselves, 
 these principall points, I say, are these they can 
 make men or women to love or hate other, which 
 may be very possible to the divel to effectuate, see- 
 ing he being a subtile spirit, knowes well enough 
 how to perswade the corrupted affection of them 
 whom God will permit him to deal with, they can 
 lay the sicknesse of one upon another, which like- 
 wise is very possible unto him ; for since by God's 
 permission he laide sicknesse upon Job, why may 
 3
 
 54 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 he not farre easilier lay it upon any other ? For as 
 an old practitian, hee knowes well enough what 
 humour domines most in any of us, and as a spirit 
 he can subtillie waken up the same, making it pec- 
 cant, or to abound, as hee thinkes meet, for trou- 
 bling of us, when God will so permit him. And for 
 the taking off of it, no doubt he will be glad to re- 
 lieve such of present paine as he may thinke by 
 these meanes to perswade to be catched in his ever- 
 lasting snares and fetters. They can bewitch and 
 take the life of men or women, by roasting of the 
 pictures, as I spake of before, which likewise is 
 verie possible to their master to performe ; for al- 
 though that instrument of waxe have no vertue in 
 that turne doing, yet may he not very well, even by 
 the same measure that his conjured slaves melts 
 that waxe at the fire, may he not, I say, at these 
 same tunes, subtily as a spirit, so weaken and scat- 
 ter the spirits of life of the patient, as may make 
 him on the one part, for faintnesse, to sweat out 
 the humour of his bodie, and on the other part, for 
 the not concurrence of these spirits, which causes 
 his digestion, so debilitate his stomacke, that this 
 humour radicall continually, sweating out on the 
 one part, and no new good sucke being put in the 
 place thereof, for lacke of digestion on the other, 
 he at last shall vanish away, even as his picture 
 will doe at the fire ? A nd that knavish and cunning 
 workeman, by troubling him onely at sometimes, 
 makes a proportion so neere betwixt the working 
 of the one and the other, that both shall end as it 
 were at one time. They can raise stormes and
 
 EXTEACTS FROM DAEMOKOLOGIE. 55 
 
 tempests in the aire, either upon sea or land, though 
 not universally, but in such a particular place and 
 prescribed bounds, as God will permit them so to 
 trouble. Which likewise is very easy to be dis- 
 cerned from any other naturall tempests that are 
 meteores, in respect of the sudden and violent rais- 
 ing thereof, together with the short induring of the 
 same. And this is likewise very possible to their 
 master to doe, hee having such affinitie with the 
 aire, as being a spirit, and having such power of 
 the forming and mooving thereof; for in the Scrip- 
 ture, that stile of the prince of the aire, is given 
 unto him. They can make folkes to become phren- 
 ticque or maniacque, which likewise is very possible 
 to their master to doe, since they are but naturall 
 sicknesses, and so he may lay on these kindes as 
 well as any others. They can make spirits either 
 to follow and trouble persons, or haunt certaine 
 houses, and affray oftentimes the inhabitants, as 
 hath been knowne to be done by our witches at this 
 time. And likewise, they can make some to bee 
 possessed with spirits, and so to become very de- 
 moniacques ; and this last sort is very possible like- 
 wise to the divel their master to doe, since he may 
 easily send his owne angels to trouble in what forme 
 he pleases any whom God will permit him so to 
 use. 
 
 PHI. But will God permit these wicked instru- 
 ments, by the power of the devill their master, to 
 trouble by any of these meanes any that beleeve in 
 him ? 
 
 i,- No doubt, for there are three kindes of
 
 56 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 folkes whom God will permit so to be tempted or 
 troubled ; the wicked for their horrible sinnes, to 
 punish them in the like measure ; the godly that 
 are sleeping in any great sinnes or infirmities, and 
 weaknesse in faith, t o waken them up the faster by 
 such an uncouth forme ; and even some of the best, 
 that their patience may be tried before the world, 
 as Job's was. For why may not God use any 
 kinde of extraordinarie punishment, when it pleases 
 him, as well as the ordinarie rods of sicknesse or 
 other adversities ? 
 
 PHI. Who then may be free from these devilish 
 practises ? 
 
 EPI. No man ought to presume so farre as to 
 promise any impunitie to himselfe ; for God hath 
 before all beginnings, preordinated as well the par- 
 ticular sorts of plagues, as of benefites, for every 
 man, which in the owne time he ordaines them to 
 be visited with ; and yet ought we not to be the 
 more afraide for that, of any thing that the diveli 
 and his wicked instruments can doe against us, for 
 we daily fight against the diveli in a hundreth 
 other wayes ; and therefore, as a valiant captaine 
 affraies no more being at the combate, nor stayes 
 from his purpose for the rummishing shot of a 
 canon, nor the small clacke of a pistolet, suppose 
 he be not certaine what may light upon him ; even 
 so ought we boldly to goe forward in fighting 
 against the diveli, without any great terrour for 
 these his rarest weapons, nor for the ordinary, 
 whereof we have daily the proofe. 
 
 PHI. Is it not lawfull then, by the helpe of
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMOKOLOGIE. 57 
 
 some other witch, to cure the disease that is casten 
 on by that craft ? 
 
 EPI. No wayes lawfull, for it is an axiome of 
 theologie, that we are not to doe evil, that good 
 maie come of it. 
 
 PHI. How then may these diseases be lawfully 
 cured ? 
 
 EPI. Only by earnest prayer unto God, by 
 amendment of their lives, and by sharpe pursuing 
 every one, according to his calling of these instru- 
 ments of Satan, whose punishment to the death 
 will be a salutarie sacrifice for the patient. And 
 this is not onely the lawfull way, but likewise the 
 most sure ; for by the devil's meanes can never the 
 devitt be casten out, as Christ say th ; and when such 
 a cure is used, it may well serve for a short time, 
 but at the last it will doubtlesly tend to the utter 
 perdition of the patient, both in body and soulc, 
 
 What sort of Folkes are least or most subject to re- 
 ceive liarm by Witchcraft What power they have 
 to harme the Magistrate, and upon what respects 
 they have any power in prison And to what end 
 may or will the Devitt appeare to them therein' 
 Upon what respects the DeviU appeares in sundry 
 shapes to sundry of them at any time. 
 
 PHI. BUT who dare take upon him to punish 
 them, if no man can be sure to be free from their 
 unnatural invasions ? 
 
 EPI, Wee ought not the more of that restraint-
 
 58 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 from vertue, that the way whereby we clime there- 
 unto be straight and perillous ; but, besides that, 
 as there is no kinde of persons so subject to receive 
 harme of them, as these that are of infirme and 
 weake faith, so have they so small power over none, 
 as over such as zealously and earnestly pursue 
 them. 
 
 PHI. Then they are like the pest which smites 
 these sickarest that flies it farthest ? 
 
 EPI. It is even so with them, for neither is it 
 able to them to use any false cure upon a patient, 
 except the patient first beleeve in their power, and 
 so hazard the tinsell of his owne soule, nor yet can 
 they have lesse power to hurt any, nor such as con- 
 temne most their doings, so being it comes of faith, 
 and not of any vaine arrogancie in themselves. 
 
 PHI. But what is their power against the Ma- 
 gistrate ? 
 
 EPI. Lesse or greater, according as he deales 
 with them ; for if hee be slothfull towards them, 
 God is very able to make them instruments to 
 waken and punish his sloth ; but if he be the con- 
 trary, hee, according to the just law of God, and 
 allowable law of all nations, will be diligent in ex- 
 amining and punishing of them, God will not per- 
 mit their master to trouble or hinder so good a 
 worke. 
 
 PHI. But fra they be once in hands and fir- 
 mance, have they any further power in their craft ? 
 
 EPI. That is according to the forme of their 
 detention ; if they be but apprehended and detein- 
 ed by any private person, upon other private re-
 
 EXTBACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE, 5$ 
 
 spects, their power no doubt, either in escaping, or 
 in doing hurt, is no lesse nor ever it was before ; 
 but if, on the other part, their apprehending and 
 detention be by the lawfull magistrate, upon the 
 just respects of their guiltinesse in that craft, their 
 power is then no greater than before that ever they 
 medled with their master ; for where God begins 
 justly to strike by his lawfull lieutenants, it is not 
 in the devil's power to defraud or bereave him of 
 the office, or effect of his powerful and revenging 
 scepter. 
 
 PHI. But will never their master come to visite 
 them fra they be once apprehended and put in 
 firmance ? 
 
 EPI. That is according to the estate that these 
 miserable wretches are in, for if they be obstinate 
 in still denying, he will not spare, when hee findes 
 time to speake with them, either if he finde them 
 in any comfort, to fill them more and more with the 
 vaine hope of some manner of reliefe, or else if he 
 finde them in a deepe despaire, by all meanes to 
 augment the same, and to perswade them by some 
 extraordinarie meanes to put themselves downe, 
 which very commonly they doe ; but if they be 
 penitent and confesse, God will not permit him to 
 trouble them any more with his presence and al- 
 lurements. 
 
 PHI. It is not good using his cpunsell I see 
 then ; but I would earnestly know, when he ap- 
 peares to them in prison, what formes uses he then 
 to take ? 
 
 EM. Divers formes, even as hee uses to doe at
 
 60 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 other times unto them ; but ordinarily in such a 
 forme as they agree upon among themselves ; or, 
 if they be but premises, according to the qualitie 
 of their circles or conjurations : yet to these capped 
 creatures he appeares as he pleases, and as he findes 
 meetest for their humours ; for even at their pub- 
 licke conventions, hee appeares to divers of them 
 in divers formes, as we have found by the difference 
 of their confessions in that point ; for he deluding 
 them with vaine impressions in the aire, makes 
 himselfe to seeme more terrible to the grosser sort, 
 that they may thereby be mooved to feare and re- 
 verence him the more, and lesse monstrous and un- 
 couth like againe to the craftier sort, lest otherwise 
 they might sturre and skunner at his uglinesse. 
 
 PHI. How can he then be felt, as they confesse 
 they have done, if his body be but of aire ? 
 
 EPI. I heare little of that amongst their con- 
 fessions, yet may he make himselfe palpable, either 
 by assuming any dead bodie, and using the tnini- 
 sterie thereof, or else by deluding as well their sense 
 of feeling as seeing, which is not impossible to him 
 to doe, since all our senses, as wee are so weake, 
 and even by ordinarie sicknesses, will be oftentimes 
 deluded. 
 
 PHI. But I would speere one word further yet 
 concerning his appearing to them in prison, which is 
 this, may any other that chances to be present at 
 that time in the prison see him as well as they ? 
 
 EPI. Sometimes they will, and sometimes not, 
 as it pleases God.
 
 EXTRACTS FttOM DAEMONOLOGIE. 61 
 
 Of the Try all and Punishment of Witches What 
 sort of Accusation ought to be admitted against 
 tliem What is tfie cause of the increasing so 
 farre tf their number in this age. 
 
 PHI. THEN to make an end of our conference, 
 since I see it drawes late, what forme of punishment 
 thinke yee merit these witches ? 
 
 EM. They ought to be put to death according 
 to the law of God, the civill and imperial law, and 
 municipall law of all Christian nations. 
 
 PHI. But what kinde of death I pray you ? 
 
 EPI. It is commonly used by fire, but that is 
 an indifferent thing to be used in every countrey, 
 according to the law or custome thereof. 
 
 PHI. But ought no sexe, age, nor ranke, to be 
 exempted ? 
 
 EPI. None at all, (being so used by the lawfull 
 magistrate), for it is the highest point of idolatry 
 wherein no exception is admitted by the law of 
 God. 
 
 PHI Then barnes may not be spared ? 
 
 EPI. Yea, not a haire the lesse of my conclu- 
 sion, for they are not that capable of reason as to 
 practise such things ; and for any being in com- 
 pany, and not reveiling thereof, their less and ig- 
 norant age will no doubt excuse them. 
 
 PHI. I see ye condemne them all that are of 
 the counsell of such craftes. 
 
 EPI. No doubt the consulters, trusters in, over- 
 seers, interteiners, or stirrers up of these craftes 
 F
 
 G2 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 folkes, are equally guiltie with themselves that are 
 the practisers. 
 
 PHI. Whether may the prince then, or supreme 
 magistrate, spare or oversee any that are guilty of 
 that craft, upon some great respects knowen to 
 
 him ? 
 
 En.-. The prince or magistrate, for further 
 trials cause, may continue the punishing of them 
 such a certaine space as he thinkes convenient, 
 but in the end to spare the life, and not to strike 
 when God bids strike, and so severely punish in 
 so odious a fault and treason against God, it is 
 not onely unlawfull, but doubtlesse no lesse sinne 
 in that magistrate, nor it was in Saules sparing of 
 Agag ; and so comparable to the sinne of witch- 
 craft itselfe, as Samuel alledged at that time. 
 
 PHI. Surely then, I think since this crime 
 ought to be so severely punished, judges ought to 
 beware to condemne any but such as they are sure 
 are guiltie, neither should the clattering report of 
 a carling serve in so weightie a case. 
 
 EPI. Judgesought indeede to beware whom they 
 condemne, for it is as great a crime (as Solomon 
 saith), to condemne the innocent as to let the guilty 
 escape free, neither ought the report of any one 
 infamous person be admitted for a sufficient proof 
 which can stand of no law. 
 
 PHI. And what may a number of guilty per- 
 sons confessions worke against one that is accused? 
 
 En. The assise must serve for interpretuur of 
 our law in that respect, but in my opinion, since 
 in a matter of treason against the prince, barnes
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 63 
 
 or wives, or never so diffamed persons, may of our 
 law serve for sufficient witnesses and proofes, I 
 thinke surely that by a farre greater reason such 
 witnesses may be sufficient in matters of high trea- 
 son against God ; for who but witches can be 
 prooves, and so witnesses of the doings of witches ? 
 
 PHI. Indeed, I trow they will be loath to put 
 any honest man upon their counsell ; but what if 
 they accuse folke to have been present at their ima- 
 ginar conventions in the spirit, when their bodies 
 lye senseless, as ye have said ? 
 
 EPI. I thinke they are not a haire the less 
 guiltie ; for the divell durst never have borrowed 
 their shadow or similitude to that turne, if their 
 consent had not beene at it ; and the consent in 
 these turnes is death of the lawe. 
 
 PHI. Then Samuel was a witch, for the divell 
 resembled his shape, and played his person in giving 
 response to Saul. 
 
 EPI. Samuel was dead as well before that, and 
 so none could slaunder him with medling in that 
 unlawful arte ; for the cause why, as I take it, that 
 God will not permit Satan to use the shapes of si- 
 militudes of any innocent persons at such unlawfull 
 times is, that God will not permit that any inno- 
 cent persons shall be slandered with that vile defec- 
 tion, for then the divell would finde waies anew to 
 calumniate the best ; and this we have in proofe by 
 them that are carried with the pharie, who never 
 see the shadowes of any in that court but of them 
 that thereafter are tryed to have beene brethren and 
 sisters of that craft. And this was likewise prooved
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 
 
 by the confession of a young lasse troubled with 
 spirits, laid on her by witchcraft ; that although she 
 saw the shapes of divers men and women troubling 
 her, and naming the persons whom these shadowes 
 represent ; yet never one of them are founde to be 
 innocent, but all clearely tryed to be most guiltie, 
 and the most part of them confessing the same. 
 And, besides that, I thinke it hath beene seldome 
 heard tell of, that any whom persons guiltie of that 
 crime accused, as having knowen them to be their 
 marrows by eye-sight, and not by hearesay, but 
 such as were so accused of witchcraft, could not be 
 clearely tried upon them, were at the least publikely 
 knowen to be of a very evill life and reputation ; so 
 jealous is God of the fame of them that are inno- 
 cent in such causes. And, besides that, there are 
 two other good helps that may be used for their 
 triall ; the one is, the finding of their marke, and 
 the trying the insensibleness thereof; the other is 
 their fleeting on the water, for as in a secret mur- 
 ther, if the dead carkasse be at any time thereafter 
 handled by the murtherer, it will gush out of bloud, 
 as if the bloud were crying to the heaven for re- 
 venge of the murtherer, God having appointed that 
 secret supernaturall signe for triall of that secret 
 unnatural crime, so it appeares that God hath ap- 
 pointed (for a supernatural signe of the monstrous 
 impietie of witches), that the water shall refuse to 
 receive them in her bosome that have shaken off 
 them the sacred water of baptisme, and wilfully re- 
 fused the benefitie thereof. No, not so much as 
 their eyes are able to shed teares (threaten and tor-
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DAEMONOLOGIE. 65 
 
 ture them as ye please), while first they repent, 
 (God not permitting them to dissemble their ob- 
 stinacie in so horrible a crime) albeit the women 
 kind especially, be able othervvayes to shed teares 
 at every light occasion when they will, yea, al- 
 though it were dissemblingly like the crocodiles. 
 
 PHI. Well, wee have made this conference to 
 last as long as leisure would permit ; and to con- 
 clude then, since I am to take my leave of you, I 
 pray God to purge this countrey of these divellish 
 practises, for they were never so rife in these parts 
 as they are now. 
 
 En. I pray God that so be too ; but the causes 
 are over manifest that make them to be so rife ; for 
 the great wickedness of the people on the one hand, 
 procures this horrible defection, whereby God justly 
 punisheth sinne by a greater iniquitie ; and on the 
 other part, the consummation of the world and our 
 deliverance drawing neere, makes Satan to rage the 
 more in his instruments, knowing his kingdome to 
 be so neere an end. And so farewell for this time. 
 
 THE END
 

 
 AN 
 
 ANSWER 
 
 OF A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 FROM A 
 
 TO 
 
 >* A NOBLEMAN, i*ru> 
 
 CONTAINING A 
 
 BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE BARBAROUS AND ILLEGAL 
 TREATMENT THESE POOR WOMEN ACCUSED OF 
 WITCHCRAFT MET WITH FROM THE BAILLIES OF 
 PITTENWEEM AND OTHERS WITH SOME OBSER- 
 VATIONS THEREON. 
 
 To which is added, 
 
 An Account of the Horrid and Barbarous Murder, 
 in a Letterjrom a Gentleman in Fife to his Friend 
 in Edinburgh, February 5th, 1705. 
 
 PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1705.
 
 
 THE two following Tracts give an account of the 
 witches of Pittenweem in 1705. The first is a con- 
 cise relation of facts, in which the minister and ma- 
 gistrates are placed in no very favourable point of 
 view. The second is an answer to the first, and 
 seems chiefly intended to obviate the charges that 
 are preferred against the minister and baillies, but 
 in our opinion with no great success, as the princi- 
 pal facts are admitted, and the only defence set up 
 is, that the women were in reality witches. We 
 have given this author's story in his own words, 
 with such of his remarks as bear upon the narrative 
 of the other pamphlet, which is all that is necessary 
 
 at the present day. 
 
 EDITOR.
 
 AN 
 
 ANSWER 
 
 OF 
 
 A LETTER FROM A GENTLEMAN IN 
 FIFE, &c. 
 
 MY LORD, 
 
 I RECKON myself very much honoured by your 
 Lordship's letter, desiring me to write you an ac- 
 count of that horrible murder committed in Pitten- 
 Aveem. I doubt not, but by this time, your Lord- 
 ship has seen the gentleman's letter to his friend 
 thereanent ; I refer you to it, the author thereof 
 being so well informed, and so ingenous, that Til 
 assure you, there is nothing in it but what is gene- 
 rally talked and believed to be true. 
 
 All I can contribute to your Lordship's further 
 information, shall be by way of a brief narrative 
 of the minister and baillies unwarrantable impri- 
 soning, and barbarous treating of the poor women. 
 
 I need not write your Lordship a character of 
 Patrick Morton, being now sufficiently known for 
 a cheat 
 
 It was upon his accusation allennarly the mini- 
 ster and bail lies imprisoned these poor women, and 
 set a guard of drunken fellows about them, who
 
 70 ANSWER OF A LETTER. 
 
 bypinching and pricking some of them with pins and 
 clsions, kept them from sleep for several days and 
 nights together, the marks whereof were seen by 
 severals a month thereafter. This cruel usage made 
 some of them learn to be so wise as acknowledge 
 every question that was asked them ; whereby they 
 found the minister and baillies well pleased, and 
 themselves better treated. 
 
 Notwithstanding of all this, some of the more 
 foolish continued, as the minister said, hardened in 
 the devil's service, such as White, Jack, Wallace, 
 Patrick, and others ; all which, save the first, were 
 ordered to the stocks, where they lay for several 
 weeks. 
 
 Ail this while Patrick Morton^s melancholly fancy 
 (to give it no harsher term), being too much en- 
 couraged by severals, and particularly by the mi- 
 nister's reading to him the case of Barrgarran's 
 daughter, continued roving after a wonderful man- 
 ner, accusing for his tormentors some of the most 
 considerable mens' wives in the town, but such as 
 the minister and baillies durst not venture to impri- 
 son. By this your Lordship may see, it was only 
 the weakest that went to the walls. 
 
 My Lord Rothes, accompanied with several gen- 
 tlemen of good sense and reputation, came to Pit- 
 tenweem, where finding these poor womens' confes- 
 sions no wise satisfying, and Patrick Morton a 
 cheat, informed the privy council thereof, who sent 
 an order to send Patrick over to them. This turn 
 being given, and Patrick finding that things were 
 not likely to go so favourably with him as he before
 
 ANSWER OF A LETTER. 71 
 
 fancied, began to draw to his breeches, and in a 
 short time recovered his former health, in which he 
 still continues. By this time the baillies began to 
 be as earnest in emptying their prisons, as ever 
 they were forward in filling them ; so after a long 
 and serious deliberation, they set them at liberty : 
 but that their last step might be as illegal as their 
 first, obliged each of them to pay the town-officer 
 the sum of 8 lib. Scots ; to pay which, some of them 
 were forced to sell some linnen they had reserved 
 for their dead shirts and wynding sheets. 
 
 I beg your Lordship's further patience a little to 
 read these few following observations : Obs. \st, 
 The baillies and minister sent and brought several 
 of these women from places without their jurisdic- 
 tionone from Anstruther, and another from the 
 country at six miles distance. 
 
 Obs. %d, What good could the minister propose 
 to Patrick Morton by reading to him the book in- 
 tituled the case of Barrgarran's daughter ? 
 
 Obs. 3d, After so much injustice done to these 
 poor women, the baillies and minister obliged them 
 to pay the town-officer eight pound Scots, is wor- 
 thy of your Lordship and the rest of the Lords of 
 the privy council's considerations ; and it would be 
 the height of charity to fall on a method to oblige 
 the minister and baillies to refound it seven-fold. 
 
 Obs. 4<th, One Thomas Brown, the only man ac- 
 cused by Patrick Morton, and imprisoned by the 
 minister and baillies, after a great deal of hunger 
 and hardship, died in prison, so as this poor wo- 
 man's murder was not the first, neither will it be 
 the last, unless by severe punishments prevented,
 
 72 ANSWEE OF A LETTER. 
 
 Obs. &th, The baillies in a manner justified these 
 two murthers, by not allowing them Christian bu- 
 rial, but burying them like dogs, scarce covering 
 them from the ravens. 
 
 Obs. 6th, You may wonder why all along I 
 should say the minister and baillies ? The reason 
 is, because during all this narrative he exercised 
 more of the civil authority than any of the baillies, 
 and so continues to do, as you may see by the fol- 
 lowing late instance. 
 
 The baillies of Pittenweem being conveened be- 
 fore the Lords of Privy Council on the 14th or 
 15th of February, I am informed gave in to them 
 a subscribed account of the murther ; and to justify 
 themselves, assert they had imprisoned several of 
 the murtherers before they left Pittenweem. It is 
 very true they did so, but they were not long from 
 the town when the minister set them at liberty. 
 This, I think, is exercising the office of a civil ma- 
 gistrate : perhaps the minister may say he did it 
 by the magistrates' order left behind them ; then I 
 think the magistrates were mightily in the wrong 
 to give in to the Lords of the privy council an ac- 
 count they knew to be false. 
 
 My Lord, this is not the tenth part of what may 
 be said upon this subject, I hope some other person 
 will be more particular. 
 
 lam, 
 
 My LOUD, 
 Your Lordship's 
 
 Most humble servant.
 
 AN 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OF AN 
 
 HORRID AND BARBAROUS MURDER, 
 
 IN A 
 
 Letter from a Gentleman in Fife to his Friend in 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 I DODBT not of your being exceedingly surprized 
 with this short and just account I give you of a 
 most barbarous murder committed in Pittenweem 
 the 30th of January last. One Peter Morton, a 
 blacksmith in that town, after a long sickness, pre- 
 tended that witches were tormenting him that he 
 did see them and know them and, from time to 
 time, as he declared such and such women to be 
 witches, they were by order of the magistrates and 
 minister of Pittenweem, apprehended as such, to a 
 very considerable number, and put into prison. 
 This man, by his odd postures and fits, which 
 seemed to be very surprizing at first, wrought 
 himself into such a credit with the people of that 
 place, that unless the Earl of Rothes, our sheriff, 
 had discovered his villany, and discouraged that 
 practice, God knows how fatal it might have proved 
 G
 
 74 
 
 LETTER. 
 
 to many honest families of good credit and respect. 
 Sir, however, at first many were deceived, yet now 
 all men of sense are ashamed for giving any credit 
 to such a person ; but how hard it is to root out 
 bad principles once espoused by the rabble, and 
 how dangerous a thing it is to be at their mercy, 
 will appear by the tragical account I give you of 
 one of these poor women, Janet Corphat. 
 
 After she was committed prisoner to the tolbooth, 
 upon a suspicion of her being a witch, she was 
 well guarded with a number of men, who, by pinch- 
 ing her, and pricking her with pins, kept her from 
 sleep many days and nights, threatening her with 
 present death, unless she would confess herself 
 guilty of witchcraft ; which at last she did. This 
 report spreading abroad, made people curious to 
 converse with her upon the subject, who found 
 themselves exceedingly disappointed. The Vis- 
 count of Primrose being in Fife occasionally, in- 
 clined to satisfy his curiosity in this matter, the 
 Earl of Kellie, my Lord Lyon, the Laird of Scots- 
 tarvat, and the Laird of Randerston, were with his 
 Lordship in Pittenweem. Three of the number 
 went to the tolbooth and discoursed with her, to 
 whom she said, that all that she had confessed, 
 either of herself or her neighbours, were lies, and 
 cried out, God forgive the minister, and said, that 
 he had beat her one day with his staff when she 
 was telling him the truth. They asked her how 
 she came to say any thing that was not true ; she 
 cryed out, alas, alas, I behoved to say so, to please 
 the minister and baillies ; and, in the mean time,
 
 LETTER. 75 
 
 she begged for Christ's sake not to tell that she had 
 said so, else she would be murdered. Another 
 time, when the Laird of Glenagies and Mr Bruce 
 of Kinross, were telling her, she needed not deny 
 what they were asking her, for she had confessed 
 as much as would infallibly burn her ; she cried 
 out, God forbid I and to one of the two she said, 
 that from which he might rationally conclude, she 
 insinuate she had assurance from the minister her 
 life should not be taken. 
 
 A little before harvest, Mr Ker of Kippilaw, a 
 writer to the signet, being in Pittenweem, Mr 
 Robert Cook, advocate, went with him to prison to 
 see this poor woman ; Mr Cook, among other ques- 
 tions, asked her, if she had not renounced her bap- 
 tism to the devil ; she answered, she never renoun- 
 ced her baptism but to the minister. These were 
 her words, what she meant by them I know not. 
 The minister having got account of this from Mr 
 Cook, he sent for her, and in presence of Mr Cook 
 and Mr Ker iu the church, he threatened her very 
 severely, and commanded the keeper to put her in- 
 to some prison by herself under the steeple, least (as 
 he said) she should pervert those who had confess- 
 ed. The keeper put her into a prison in which was 
 a low window, out of which it was obvious that any 
 body could make an escape ; and, accordingly, she 
 made her escape that night. 
 
 Next day when they missed her, they made a 
 very slight search for her, and promised ten pound 
 Scots to any body that would bring her back. Mr 
 Gordon, minister at Leuchars, hearing she was in
 
 76 LETTER. 
 
 liis parish, eight miles distant from Pittenweem, 
 caused apprehend her, and sent her prisoner, under 
 custody of two men, on the 30th of January, to Mr 
 Cowper, minister of Pittenweem, without giving 
 any notice to the magistrates of the place. When 
 she came to Mr Cowper, she asked him if he had 
 any thing to say to her ? he answered, No. She 
 could get lodging in no house but with one Nicolas 
 Lawson, one of the women that had been called 
 witches. Some say a baillie put her there. 
 
 The rabble hearing she was in town, went to Mr 
 Cowper, and asked him what they should do with 
 her? he told them he was not concerned, they 
 might do what they pleased with her. They took 
 encouragement from this to fall upon the poor woman, 
 those of the minister's family going along with them, 
 as I hear ; they fell upon the poor creature imme- 
 diately, and beat her unmercifully, tying her so 
 hard with a rope, that she was almost strangled ; 
 they dragged her through the streets, and alongst 
 the shore, by the heels. A baillie, hearing of a 
 rabble near his stair, came out upon them, which 
 made them immediately disappear. But the magis- 
 trates, though met together, not taking care to put 
 her into close custody for her safety, the rabble 
 gathered again immediately, and stretched a rope 
 betwixt a ship and the shore, to a great height, to 
 which they tied her fast ; after which they swinged 
 her to and fro, from one side to another, in the 
 mean time throwing stones at her from all corners, 
 until they were weary ; then they loosed her, and 
 with a mighty swing threw her upon the hard
 
 LETTER. 77 
 
 sands, all about being ready in the mean time to 
 receive her with stones and staves, with which they 
 beat her most cruelly. Her daughter, in the time 
 of her mother's agony, though she knew of it, 
 durst not adventnre to appear, lest the rabble had 
 used her after the same manner, being in a house, 
 in great concern and terror, out of natural affection 
 for her mother, (about which the author was mis- 
 informed in the first edition.) They laid a heavy 
 door upon her, with which they prest her so sore, 
 that she cried out, to let her up for Christ's sake, 
 and she would tell the truth. But when they did 
 let her up, what she said could not satisfy them, 
 and therefore, they again laid on the door, and with 
 a heavy weight of stones on it, prest her to death ; 
 and to be sure it was so, they called a man with a 
 horse and a sledge, and made him drive over her 
 corpse backward and forward several times. When 
 they were sure she was killed outright, they drag- 
 ged her miserable carcase to Nicolas Lawson's 
 house, where they first found her. 
 
 There was a motion made to treat Nicolas Law- 
 son after the same manner immediately ; but some 
 of them being wearied with three hours sport, as 
 they called it, said it would be better to delay her 
 for another day's divertisement ; and so they all 
 went off*. 
 
 It is said that Mr Cowper, in a letter to Mr 
 Gordon, gave some rise to all this ; and Mr Cow- 
 per, to vindicate himself, wrote to Mr Gordon, 
 whose return says, if he were not going to Edin- 
 burgh, he would give him a double of his letter. 
 
 3
 
 78 LETTER. 
 
 It's strange he sent him not the principal. In the 
 postscript, he assures him, he shall conceal it to 
 meeting. 
 
 'Tis certain, that Mr Cowper, preaching the 
 Lord's day immediately after, in Pittenweem, took 
 no notice of the murder, which at least makes him 
 guilty of sinful silence. Neither did Mr Gordon, 
 in his letter to Mr Cowper, make any regret for 
 it ; and this some construe to be a justifying of the 
 horrid wickedness in both. 
 
 We are perswaded the government will examine 
 this affair to the bottom, and lay little stress upon 
 what the magistrates or minister of Pittenweem 
 will say to smooth over the matter, seeing it's very 
 well known, that either of them could have quash- 
 ed the rabble, and prevented that murder, if they 
 had appeared zealous against it. 
 
 I am sorry I have no better news to tell you, 
 God deliver us from those principles that tend to 
 such practices. 
 
 I am, 
 SIR, 
 
 Your humble servant.
 
 A 
 
 JUST REPROOF 
 
 TO THE 
 
 FALSE REPORTS AND UNJUST CALUMNIES, 
 
 IN THE 
 
 FOREGOING LETTERS. 
 
 ABOUT the month of March last year, one Bea- 
 trix Laing, a woman of very bad fame, who had 
 formerly been under process for using charms, and 
 refusing to be reconciled to her neighbours, was 
 debarred from the Lord's table, came to one Pa- 
 trick Morton, a blacksmith, desiring him to make 
 some nails, which he refused to do, because other- 
 wise employed at that time. Upon which she went 
 off muttering some threatening expressions. A 
 little after, the said Patrick Morton, with another 
 person in company, carrying some fish by the said 
 Beatrix Laing's door, they saw a vessel with water 
 placed at the door, with a burning coal in it. Up- 
 on which he was presently strucken with an im- 
 pression that it was a charm designed against him, 
 and upon this a little after he sickened. In this 
 sickness he languished for a long time ; physicians
 
 80 A JUST REPROOF. 
 
 that saw him, could not understand his distemper, 
 yet tried various medicines, till at length his trou- 
 ble increased, and he began to be seized with some 
 unusual fits, which made them give over. He for- 
 bore all this while any accusation of the person 
 whom he all along suspected for his trouble, at least 
 he made no mention of it to the minister, who fre- 
 quently visited him while under it. But his trouble 
 still increasing, he at length began to drop some 
 apprehensions of the cause of it. Upon which Bea- 
 trix Laing was called, and by the magistrates, in 
 the said Patrick Morton's father's house, examined 
 in presence of a great multitude of people, and 
 owned, that she had placed that vessel with water, 
 and the coal in it, there ; but at that time would 
 give no account of the reason of it. Being dismis- 
 sed by the magistrates, she went home, and that 
 same night, when she was challenged by Katharine 
 Marshal, in her own house, before Nicolas Lawson, 
 about the lad's trouble, she answered, that he might 
 blame his own ill tongue for what had befallen him, 
 and that it was an evil spirit that was troubling 
 him ; which was in her face maintained by the said 
 persons next day, in presence of the magistrates. 
 Then the boy began to complain of her tormenting 
 him, and fell into grievous fits of trouble upon her 
 entering the house. Upon all which she being 
 imprisoned, after some time did acknowledge to 
 magistrates and minister, in presence of many wit- 
 nesses, without threat or torture, (of which we shall 
 speak more afterwards) that she was displeased with 
 Patrick Morton for his refusing to make some nails ;
 
 A JUST REPROOF. 81 
 
 that she designed to be avenged upon him for it ; 
 and that she used that charm of the coal in the wa- 
 ter against him ; and that she renounced her bap- 
 tism, entered into a compact with the devil some 
 twelve years before ; condescending upon time, 
 place, and her inducements to engage in his ser- 
 vice; and that she, with Nicholas Lawson, had 
 made a wax picture to torment him, and put pins 
 in it ; which the said Nicolas li kewise confessed af- 
 terwards, and so justified the boy's account of the 
 rise of his trouble. 
 
 After this the boy's trouble daily increased, in 
 which there were many strange things ; first his 
 belly, for some time, then his breast, frequently 
 heaved up to a prodigious height, and instantly 
 went off again, by a blowing at the mouth like a 
 bellows ; frequently he cried out that such persons 
 as he named were pinching him in his arms, breast, 
 or some other places of his body, his hands lying 
 all the while above the clothes, at a distance from 
 one another, in the view of many of the spectators ; 
 and when they looked the places of which he com- 
 plained, they saw distinctly the print of nails. 
 Again, he was frequently cast into swooning fits, 
 became insensible, which was tried by exquisite 
 pinching the more sensible parts of his body, of 
 which he complained afterwards when he came out 
 of the fits, though he took no notice of them, nor 
 felt them, in the time while he was in these fits. 
 The strongest who essayed to lift his head from the 
 pillow, were not able to move it, though both his 
 feet and head were perfectly free of the bed, which
 
 82 A JUST REPBOOF. 
 
 was exactly tried : Yea, sometimes while the trunk 
 of his body and his head were thus rigid and could 
 not be raised from the pillow, his legs were loose, 
 and any might move them as they pleased. Some- 
 times these fits were not so great as at other times, 
 and then, or when he was falling in, or coming out 
 of them, several persons lifted him with little diffi- 
 culty ; but when he was in the depth of the fit, the 
 strongest that essayed it could not raise him up. 
 Again, when any of the women whom he accused 
 touched him, and sometimes on their coming into 
 the room he fell into grievous fits of trouble, and 
 cried out, that such a person was tormenting him, 
 condescending on their names ; and this he did very 
 frequently, before multitudes of people of different 
 ranks, ready to attest the same. And commonly 
 such care was taken to prevent his having any no- 
 tice, either of the womens' entry, or which of them 
 was there, that there was no place left for any ra- 
 tional suspicion of trick or cheat in the matter. He 
 was carefully hoodwinked with several plies of cloth 
 the women were brought in with the utmost 
 secrecy innocent persons present in the room laid 
 their hands on him, but yet he never shewed the 
 least concern, save when the accused persons touch- 
 ed him. Several times gentlemen that seemed jea- 
 lous that there was somewhat of an imposture in 
 the case, were allowed and invited to make the 
 nicest trial, and found it hold. Several pitiful ca- 
 vils have been used about this, and other instances 
 of the boy's trouble, which proceed either from 
 ignorance of the circumstances of matter of fact,
 
 A JUST REPROOF. 88 
 
 or gross inadvertency in not observing the several 
 variations of the boy's case ; which, had they been 
 considered, they would have been so far from giving 
 any countenance to the conclusion aimed at by these 
 objectors, that they would strongly have enforced 
 a conviction of something preter-natural in the case. 
 The author then proceeds to give an account of 
 Janet Corphat, the woman who was murdered. She 
 was a person of very bad fame, who of a long time 
 was reputed a witch, frequently used charms, and 
 was wont commonly to threaten persons who dis- 
 obliged her, and such consequences sometimes fol- 
 lowed, as made her the terror of many, both of the 
 town and country, which might be verified by par- 
 ticular instances, if it were necessary. She was not 
 at first delated by Patrick Morton, though after- 
 wards he complained of her as one of his tormen- 
 tors ; but she, with several others, being in company 
 with the devil, whereof Isabel Adam was one, in 
 pursuance of a quarrel which Beatrix Laing, for- 
 merly mentioned, had with one Alexander M'Gri- 
 gor, a fisher in the town, made an attempt to mur- 
 der the said M'Grigor in bed ; which was prevent- 
 ed by his awakening and wrestling against them. 
 This attempt was acknowledged by Isabel Adam, 
 of whose confession a more full account shall be 
 given afterwards, who had been taken up on that 
 man's delation, and some other informations against 
 her, and not on the lad's. As likewise, the said 
 Janet was accused by Nicolas Lawson, another per- 
 son present at that attempt ; and Nicolas accused 
 her of being at another meeting in the Loan of Pit-
 
 84* A JUST KEPROOF. 
 
 tenweem ; at both which meetings they confessed 
 the devil was present. All which she herself after- 
 wards freely confessed. 
 
 The manner of this woman's confession was very 
 remarkable. After she had obstinately some while 
 denied, and with a subtility beyond what might be 
 expected from one of her education, shifted all 
 questions put to her, she, with Isobel Adam afore- 
 said, being brought to the house where the torment- 
 ed lad lay, and he discovering her at her entry into 
 the room, notwithstanding the utmost precaution 
 was used to conceal it from him, and he falling into 
 grievous fits of trouble, did cry out of her as one 
 of his tormentors ; at which she was so stunned, 
 that instantly she fell a trembling. The magistrates 
 and minister observing her in such a confusion, 
 asked if she was willing to commune with them, 
 in reference to the matters whereof she had been 
 accused ; she declaring herself willing, went with 
 them to another place, and when desired to be in- 
 genuous, she again fell a trembling, and said she 
 would confess all, but was afraid the devil would 
 tear the soul out of her body if she did, and said, 
 if you will pray, and cause all good folk pray for 
 me, I will confess, and she then desired the mini- 
 ster to pray ; and, after prayer, confessed she was 
 bodily present at both the meetings aforesaid with 
 the devil and the witches, and gave a circumstantial 
 account of the renounciation of her baptism, naming 
 time, place, and inducements which led her to it, 
 and the shape the devil appeared to her in. She 
 likewise told the reason of their attempt to murder
 
 A JUST REPKO01'. 
 
 M'Grigor was, that he did not hire a house which 
 belonged to Beatrix Laing. 
 
 Again, on a Thursday, after she had been hear- 
 ing sermon, she desired to speak with the minister, 
 and sent one to acquaint him with this desire ; on 
 which he went to her, and she, before several wit- 
 nesses, renewed her former confession, and conde- 
 scended on all the persons the other confessing 
 witches had accused, as being present at the two 
 foresaid meetings ; adding withal, that there were 
 others present whom she knew not. This confes- 
 sion she renewed before the presbytery, in presence 
 of a great many country gentleman, and other 
 spectators ; as likewise in the face of a numerous 
 congregation on the Lord's day. 
 
 It is owned, that when Beatrix Laing and Nico- 
 las Lawson were first imprisoned, they were ill used 
 by some of the guard, without the knowledge of 
 magistrates or minister, of which the women made 
 complaint to the minister, whereof he presently ac- 
 quainted the magistrates, who, with the minister, 
 went to the prison, and threatened the guard if they 
 offered the least disturbance to persons in custody. 
 And the minister, on the Lord's day thereafter, 
 took occasion in sermon to discover the wickedness 
 of that practice, as being against the light of nature, 
 Scripture, and the j ust laws of the land. After this, 
 we heard of no more disturbances they met with. 
 Now, it was not till after this precaution used to 
 prevent their trouble, that Janet Corphat was im- 
 prisoned ; and, from the time of her imprisonment, 
 till the time that she confessed, which was some ten 
 H
 
 86 
 
 A JUST REPROOF. 
 
 or twelve days, she was not in company with the 
 rest, nor with the guard, save one or two days, but 
 was alone in a separate prison, and nothing to dis- 
 turb her. 
 
 Now, it is remarkable, that neither of these per- 
 sons who were ill used, of which Janet Corphat was 
 none, did ever make any acknowledgement to these 
 persons who used them ill, nor till some days after 
 they were quite freed of this trouble. And when 
 they did confess, it was to magistrates and minister, 
 whom they owned to be careful to preserve them 
 from such abuses ; nor did magistrates or minister 
 ever use any threatening to extort a confession, or 
 any other argument, but what the gospel requires 
 to be made use of to bring impenitent sinners to a 
 confession of their sins. * 
 
 The author of the letter tells us, * she was put in 
 a low prison, out of which it was obvious that any 
 body could make an escape, and accordingly she 
 made her escape that night.' Here are but two as- 
 sertions, and both of them false, for the prison was 
 the second story, and her escape was by breaking 
 an old iron grate in the window ; nor was it that 
 night after that she broke the prison, for it was on 
 Friday these gentlemen discoursed her, and on the 
 Lord's day at night she broke the prison. $ 
 
 * We should like to know what threatening^ the gospel re- 
 quires ministers to make use of to such impenitent sinners as 
 will not confess sins they could not commit. ED. 
 
 $ This just reprover begins very fairly by wilfully pervert- 
 ing his opponent's language, ' a prison with a low window,' he 
 makes ' a low prison.' We very much suspect the minister 
 himself had a hand in this pamphlet
 
 A JUST KEPROOP. 87 
 
 Here follows the author of the e Just Reproofs 1 
 way of telling the story of the barbarous and cruel 
 murder of Janet Corphat. She came to town under 
 cloud of night with two men, and went straight to an 
 inn where her daughter was serving. After some stay 
 there, the two men brought her to the minister's 
 house, who was visiting a sick child of one James 
 Cook, a present bailie, where his servant came to 
 him with Mr Gordon's letter ; and, as soon as he 
 had perused it, he bid his servant go tell them, he 
 would have nothing to do with her, but since they 
 had brought her to the town, let them take her to 
 the magistrates ; which answer, two men then pre- 
 sent, have attested under their hands. On this, the 
 men brought her to Bailie Cook's house, where the 
 minister was, and the men meeting him coming 
 down stairs, pressed him to take her off their hands, 
 which he refused to de, but called the two next 
 magistrates, and advised them instantly to set her 
 off safe out of the town. On which the two bailies 
 sent for their officer immediately, and the minister 
 went off straight to his own house, and saw no ap- 
 pearance of a rabble, nor did hear of it, till the 
 rabble had gone a considerable length ; and after 
 a little, he heard that the woman was got safe out 
 of their hands, and the rabble dissipate, and he 
 knew nothing of her death till the next morning. 
 
 When the officer came to the magistrates, they, 
 on deliberation among themselves, resolved to im- 
 prison her till the next morning ; and accordingly 
 ordered their officer to do it. And as the officer 
 was executing the magistrates 1 orders, the rabble
 
 88 A J0ST REPEOOF. 
 
 gathered upon them, attacked the officer, and took 
 the woman from him, with which, it is said, he did 
 not acquaint the magistrates, that they might have 
 taken other measures for the woman's safety. 
 
 This rabble did not flow from the inclinations of 
 the people of the place, which is evident from the 
 peaceable and safe residence two confessing witches 
 had for two months time in the place since they 
 were set at liberty, but from an unhappy occasional 
 concourse of a great many strangers, some English- 
 men, some from Orkney, and other parts, who were 
 forward in it, and have since taken guilt on them 
 by their flight. 
 
 As to the assertion with regard to those of 
 Mr Cowper's family going along with the rabble, 
 Mr Cowper urged to have his servants examined 
 among the first, and they have declared before the 
 magistrates, that they stole out in a clandestine 
 way, that their master might not know of it, and he 
 indeed knew nothing of it, and they returned very 
 quickly and made no stay ; nor do any of the wit- 
 nesses examined insinuate any accusation of their 
 having the least accession to any injury she met 
 with, nor were they any other way concerned, than 
 by looking on a short while with some hundreds of 
 other spectators. 
 
 Again, it is said, f that they first found her at 
 Nicolas Lawson's house, and that she was killed 
 out-right when they dragged her there again,' is as 
 ill grounded as the rest of our author's assertions ; 
 for they found her not at Nicolas Lawson's house, 
 and some of the persons examined have declared.
 
 A JUST REPROOF. 89 
 
 that after she was brought to that door, she arose 
 and put on head cloaths, and called to Nicolas 
 Lawson to let her in ; which, if she had done, she 
 in all appearance had met with no more disturbance ; 
 but after this, we hear that some few of the rabble 
 stole up secretly and murdered her. 
 
 The author of the Second Letter accuses the mi- 
 nister of encouraging Patrick Morton in carrying on 
 the cheat, by reading to him the case of Bargarran's 
 daughter. In answer to which, we shall give a 
 short, but candid, account of matter of fact. In the 
 month of May last, the minister, with a preacher, 
 and a great many other people, attending all night 
 in the room where Patrick Morton lay, and he ly- 
 ing meanwhile in a swooning fit, which was then 
 tried by exquisite pinching, the minister and pro- 
 bationer falling into some discourse about Bargar- 
 ran's daughter, took out the book, and for their 
 own satisfaction, read only two sentences, and stopt. 
 Several weeks after, when the minister was again 
 attending in the night time, the lad being insensible, 
 the minister, for his own diversion, read the pre- 
 face, and some part of the process, against the 
 witches, but had no reason to think he heard any 
 thing, but on the contrary. And it is to be ob. 
 served, when the committee of the privy council 
 did accurately examine the boy in reference to this 
 story, he still declared he never heard any thing of 
 Bargarran's daughter's case read. 
 
 What he says of ' their obliging them to pay 
 eight pound Scots to the town-officer, 1 is in many 
 ways false. It is false that they were ordered by
 
 90 A JITST ItEPUOOF. 
 
 the magistrates to pay such a sum. It is false'thal 
 they paid all alike. It is also untruth that any of 
 them gave what they had provided for their wind- 
 ing sheets. Nicolas Lawson, one of the confessing 
 witches, her husband voluntarily gave a small piece 
 of unbleached linen to the officer for his fees ; and 
 this is all the ground for the story of their winding- 
 sheets. 
 
 The author of the Just Reproof then proceeds to 
 give an account of Mrs White and Isobel Adam. 
 The woman brought from Anstrufeher was a Mrs 
 White, an inhabitant of Pittenweem, who, through 
 fear of being apprehended, fled thither to her daugh- 
 ter's house. This woman, whose cause is now warm- 
 ly espoused by some, with no advantage to their re- 
 putation, and who is now insisting against the ma- 
 gistrates in a process for wrongous imprisonment, 
 has been for many years a person of very bad fame. 
 Some eighteen years ago, she pursued a woman be- 
 fore the session, in Mr Bruce the late Episcopal 
 incumbents time, for calling her a witch, and suc- 
 cumbing in the probation. Mr Bruce urged her to 
 be reconciled with the woman, she obstinately re- 
 fused, using most Unchristian and revengeful ex- 
 pressions, which are to be seen in the session-regis- 
 ter. Since the revolution, she desired admission to 
 the Sacrament of the Lord^s Supper, which was 
 then denied her, because she still refused to be 
 reconciled to that woman. Her scandalous car- 
 riage in refusing to cohabit with her husband to 
 this day, who is a sober honest man, is generally 
 known. This woman being accused by the boy as
 
 A JUST REPROOF. 91 
 
 one of his tormentors, and delated by two confess- 
 ing witches, and other presumptions of her guilt, 
 the magistrates one morning sent their officer to 
 the magistrates of Anstruther, desiring them on 
 these grounds to send Mrs White to them, and the 
 grounds of her imprisonment were sent in write to 
 her, in her daughter Mrs Lindsay^ house ; and she 
 being brought to Pittenweem, the two women which 
 delated her, were confronted with her, in presence 
 of the magistrates, a great many gentlemen and 
 ministers, where they did accuse her to her face, 
 and charged her particularly with being at a meet- 
 ing in the Loan with the devil and the witches, 
 and gave some binding tokens to convince her. By 
 all which it appears, how little ground there is to 
 accuse the magistrates for invading their neighbours 
 jurisdiction, or load the minister with any concern- 
 ment in the matter. 
 
 As to the other instance of one brought to Pit- 
 tenweem at six miles distance, this was the young 
 woman Isobel Adam. About the middle of May, 
 one Alexander M'Grigor delated her for an attempt 
 to murder him in his own house in the night-time, 
 with several others whom he knew not ; and there 
 being some surmises of other presumptions of witch- 
 craft against her, the minister hearing she was oc- 
 casionally in the town, called for her, and advised 
 her, before her father, if innocent, to take proper 
 measures for her own vindication, which she under- 
 took to do, and promised to return for that end on 
 advertisement, which her father engaged to give. 
 The noise about her still increasing, her father was
 
 92 A JUST REPROOF. 
 
 desired, according to promise, to call her to the 
 place, which he declined, growing jealous of her 
 guilt ; on which the minister advertised her, but in 
 case she refused, a letter was sent to be delivered 
 to the gentleman on whose ground she lived, desir- 
 ing him to send her. So soon as the advertisement 
 was given, she came voluntarily to her father's 
 house in Pittenweem, and so there was no occasion 
 for force. 
 
 When she came, she confessed her converse with 
 the devil at Thomas Adamson's house, on the first 
 day of January 1704 ; she was confronted with 
 M'Grigor, and he accused her of the above men- 
 tioned attempt on him, which she then refused ; on 
 which she was imprisoned, and the two following 
 days, she did with tears, and more than ordinary 
 concern, make a free and large confession. 
 
 She said Beatrix Laing aforesaid, a confessing 
 witch, had been dealing with her to engage in her 
 service, which she refused ; and that some time 
 thereafter, this Beatrix came for her, and desired 
 her to go along to her house ; when she came there, 
 they sat down at the fire, and she saw a man in 
 black cloaths, with a hat on his head, sitting at 
 the table ; and Beatrix said to her, since you will 
 not engage with me, here is a gentleman that will 
 fee you ; whereupon he told her, he knew she was 
 discontented with her lot, and if she would serve 
 him, he promised she should want for nothing ; to 
 which she yielded to serve him, and he came for- 
 ward and kissed her ; and she said, lie was fearsome 
 like, and his eyes sparkled like candles, on which 
 she knew he was the devil.
 
 A JtTST REPROOF. 93 
 
 Again, she told, that being employed to spin in 
 Thomas Adamson's house in Pittenweem, while 
 she was lying awake in her bed in the night time, 
 the devil appearing to her, where she did expressly 
 renounce her baptism to the devil, by putting her 
 hand on her head, and the other to her feet, the 
 other maid lying in the bed with her being at the 
 time asleep, as the maid declared before the session. 
 About a fortnight after this, Beatrix Laing came 
 to visit her, and asked her, if she had met with the 
 gentleman ? She answered she had, and also en- 
 gaged with him, on which Beatrix said, I have then 
 got my work wrought, and went away. And she 
 confessed, she came to that meeting at M'Grigor's 
 with the devil and several witches, viz. Beatrix 
 Laing, Nicolas Lavvson, Janet Corphat, Thomas 
 Brown, and several others she knew not, designing 
 to murder M'Grigor ; but since the man awakened 
 and prayed to God for himself, they could not do 
 it. She confessed also converse with the devil at 
 other times. All which is in her two confessions, 
 signed by the magistrates, and transmitted to Edin- 
 burgh. Now, we desire to know what the author 
 of this letter can quarrel in the magistrates or mi- 
 nister's conduct in this matter. 
 
 As for what he says * about the magistrates and 
 minister refounded the imprisoned womens 1 money 
 seven-fold. 1 We find this author very charitable 
 on other mens 1 purses, but when the magistrates 
 and minister design to bestow their charity, they 
 will choose more deserving objects. And the Lords 
 of Her Majesty's privy counsel understands them-
 
 94* A JUST KEP1100F. 
 
 selves better than to take their measures as to what 
 is just from the daring prescriptions of this author. 
 
 What he says about Thomas Brown is also false, 
 he was accused by the lad, and delated by three 
 confessing witches, as being accessory to the at- 
 tempt on M'Grigor It is false he was starved, for 
 his daughter brought him his diets punctually. 
 Our author's fears of more murders are altogether 
 groundless, and we appeal to all men of candour, 
 whether this author's impudent and unjust accusa- 
 tion against magistrates and minister of murdering 
 Thomas Brown, deserves not severer punishment 
 than any tiling he can charge them with. 
 
 He again tells us, * the bailies justified the mur- 
 der, by denying Christian burial.' The bailies 
 gave no order thereabout. As for Thomas Brown, 
 his son-in-law, with some others, buried him. Our 
 author by his next may prove, that Janet Corphat, 
 a woman that had so frequently and so solemnly 
 confessed the renounciation of her baptism to the 
 devil, deserved Christian burial. 
 
 THE END.
 
 COPY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 INDICTMENT OF THE WITCHES AT BORROWSTOUNESS 
 THE PRECEPT FOR SUMMONING THE JURY AND 
 WITNESSES WITH THE WARRANT FOR THEIR 
 EXECUTION. 
 
 Copy of the Indytment. 
 
 ANNAPLE THOMSONE, widow in Borrowstownes, 
 Margaret Pringle, relict of the deceast John 
 Campbell sive-wright there, &c. 
 
 Yee, and ilk ane of yow ar indytted and accwsed, 
 that where, notwithstanding, be the law of God, 
 particularlie sett down in the 20 chapter of Leviti- 
 cus, and eighteen chap, of Dewtronomie, and be 
 the lawes and actes of parliament of this kingdorae, 
 and constant practiq ; thereof, particularlie be the 
 73 act, 29 parliament Q. Marie, the cryme of witch- 
 craft is declaired to be ane horreid, abominable and 
 capitall cryme, punishable with the paines of death 
 and confiscatiown of moveables. Never the less it 
 is of veritie, that you have comitted, and ar gwyltie 
 of the said cryme of witchcraft, in swa far ye have 
 entered in pactiown with the devill, the enemie of
 
 96 WITCHES OP BORROWSTOUNESS. 
 
 your salvatiown, and have renownced our Blissed 
 Lord and Savior, and your baptizme, and have 
 given your selffes, both soulles and bodies to the 
 devil, and have bein severall mettings with the 
 devill, and swndrie wyth witches in diverse places ; 
 and particularlie, ye the said Annaple Thomsone 
 had a melting with the devill the tyme of your 
 weidowhood, befoer yow was maried to your last 
 husband, in your cvvming betwixt Linlithgow and 
 Borrowstownes, where the devil, in the lyknes of 
 ane black man, told yow, that you wis ane poore 
 puddled bodie, and had ane evill lyiff, and difficul- 
 tie to win throw the world ; and promesed, iff yee 
 %vald followe him, and go alongst with him, yow 
 should never want, bot have ane better lyiff : and, 
 abowt fyve wekes therefter, the devill appeired to 
 yow when yow wis goeing to the coal-hill abowt 
 sevin a clock in the morning. Having renewed his 
 former tentatiown, you did condeschend thereto, 
 and declared yowrselff content to follow him, and 
 becwm his servant ; wherewpon the devill threw 
 yow to the grownd, and had carnal copwlatiown 
 with yow ; and ye, and each persone of yow, wis at 
 several mettings with the devill in the Linkes of 
 Borrowstowness, and in the howss of yow Bessie 
 Vickar, and ye did eatt and drink with the devill, 
 and with on another, and with witches in hir howss 
 in the night tyme ; and the devill and the said Wm 
 Craw browght the ale which ye drank, extending 
 to abowt sevin gallons, from the howss of Elizabeth 
 Hamilton ; and yow the said Annaple had ane 
 other metting abowt fyve wekes ago, when you wis
 
 WITCHES OF UOKIIOWSTOUNESS. 97 
 
 goeing to the coal-hill of Grange, and he inveitted 
 yow to go alongest and drink with him in the 
 Grange-pannes ; and yow the said Margaret Prin- 
 gil have bein ane witch thir many yeeres bygane ; 
 hath renowncid yowr baptisme, and becwm the 
 devill's servant, and promeis to follow him ; and 
 the devill had carnall copwlatiown with yow, and 
 tuik you by the right hand, whereby it was, for 
 eight dayes, grevowslie pained ; but having it twit- 
 ched of new againe, it imediatlie becam haill : and 
 yow the said Margaret Hamilton has bein the de- 
 vill's servant these eight or nyne yeres bygane ; 
 and he appered and conversed with yow at the 
 toun-well of Borrowstownes, and several tymes in 
 yowr awin howss, and drank severall choppens of 
 ale with you, and thereafter had carnall copwla- 
 tiown with yow ; and the devill gave yow ane fyve 
 merk peice of gold, whilk a ly ttil efter becam ane 
 sklaitt stone ; and yow the said Margaret Hamil- 
 ton, relict of James Pollwart, has bein ane witch, 
 and the devil's servant thertie yeres since, haith 
 renowncid yowr baptizme as said is, and has had 
 carnall copwlatiown with the devill in the lyknes 
 of ane man, bot he removed from yow in the lyknes 
 of ane black dowg : and ye, and ilk ane of yow wis 
 at ane metting with the devill and wther witches at 
 the Croce of Murestaine above Kinneil, upon the 
 threttein of October last, where yow all danced, 
 and the devill acted the pyiper, and where yow en- 
 devored to have distroyed Androw Mitchell, sone 
 to John Mitchell, elder in Dean of Kinneill.
 
 98 WITCHES OF BO1UIOWSTOUNESS. 
 
 Precept qra Wi'tches, and the Witnesses and Assyis- 
 sers, 1679. 
 
 Cochran of Barbbachlay, Richard El- 
 phinstown of , Saindelands of Hilder- 
 
 stown, Cornwal of Bonhard, Robert Ha- 
 
 milton of Dechmont, baiilzie of the regallitie of 
 Borrowstownes, Sir John Harper advocat, Mr 
 William Dundas, and Mr John Prestowne advo- 
 cats, commissioners of justiciarie, speciallie con- 
 stitwte, nominal, and appoynted by the lordes off 
 his majestie's most honowrable privie cownsell for 
 the try all and j waging of the persones after namit ; 
 To our lovitts messengers, macers, 
 
 and officers of cowrt, owr shirriffs in that pairt, 
 conjunctlie and severallie, speciallie constitwte, 
 greitting : For sameikillais the day of 
 is appoynted by ws for the trying and judging oft' 
 Anabill Thomson widow in Borrowstownes, Mar- 
 garet Pringle relict of the decist John Campbell 
 sive-wright ther, Margaret Hamilton relict of the 
 deceist James Pollwart ther, Wm. Craw indweller 
 ther, Bessie Viccar relict of the deceist James Pen- 
 nie indweller ther, and Margarett Hamilton relict 
 of the deceist Thomas Mitchell, who are apprehen- 
 dit and imprisoned in the tolbuith of Borrowstow- 
 nes, as suspect gwilty of the abominable cryme of 
 witchcraft, by entering into pactiown with the de- 
 villj renwncing their baptism and comitting of ma-
 
 WITCHES OF BORROWSTOUNESS. 99 
 
 lljides : Wherefoir nescessary it is, that the saides 
 persons should be summonded to wnderlye the la we 
 for the samen, and that witness and assyssers should 
 be cited against them, to the effect, and under the 
 paines efter specified HEUEFOIK, this precept sein, 
 we chairge you passe, and in owr soveraigne lordes 
 name and authority, and.owrs, comand and chairge 
 the saides persones above compleaned upon, to 
 compeir befoir ws, or any three of us (who are by 
 our said commissiown declaired to be a quorum), 
 within the said tolbuith of Borrowstownes, the nyne- 
 teen day of December nixt, in the howr of cawse, 
 ther to wnderlye the lawe, for the crymes above 
 specifiet, and that under the paines contained in the 
 new acts of parliament : And sicklyik, summon, 
 wairne and chairge ane assyse of honest and famous 
 persones, not exceeding the number of fortie-five, 
 togither with such witnesses who best know the 
 veritie of the persones above compleaned upon ther 
 gwiltynes, to compeir befoir us, day and place 
 foirsaid, in the howr of cawse, the persones of * 
 witness, to bear leall and soothfast witnessing in the 
 premiss, and the inqueist to passe upon the assyse 
 each persone, under the paine of ane hundreth 
 merks, according to justice, ais ye will answer to us 
 therwpon : the whilk to doe commits to you, con- 
 junctlie and severalie, our fwll power, be thir our 
 lettres, delyvering them be you dewllie execut and 
 indorset againe to the beirer. Given under our 
 hands at Borrowstownes, the twentie-nynt day of 
 
 * This word is interlined, and the word inqueist scored out.
 
 100 WITCHES OF RORKOWSTOUXESS. 
 
 November, ane thousande six hunder and seventie 
 nyne yeirs. 
 
 (Sic Subscribitur) R. HAMILTON, 
 J. CORNWALL, 
 RICH. ELPHENSTONE, 
 
 W. DlJNDAS. 
 
 Ane List of the Persones to be warned to passe 
 upon the Assy se for Judging the Witches in 
 Borrowstownes. 
 
 Barronie of Carridin. 
 
 Robert Ballendin elder in Northbank, 
 
 Alex. Brown in Bonhard, 
 
 John Irwyne there, 
 
 James Lamb there, 
 
 George Storie in Mure- edge, 
 
 Thomas Knox wiver in Littill Carridin.. 
 
 John Meldrum ther, 
 
 George Yowng in Murrayes, 
 
 John Brown oversman ther, 
 
 George Smyth ther, 
 
 John Robertsone in Bonhard-panns, 
 
 John Daviesone ther, 
 
 John Pooll ther. 
 
 Town of Borrowstownes. 
 
 George Bennet, 
 
 James Cassilles elder, skipper.,
 
 WITCHES OF BORROWSTOUNES3. 101 
 
 Alex. Drysdaill skipper, 
 James Hardie glover, 
 Alex. Randie baxter 
 Richard Carss, 
 James Hamilton elder, 
 James Hwtton baxter, 
 Andrew Hamilton, 
 Thomas Downie, 
 James Mwngill wiver, 
 Rob. Downie. 
 
 Barronie of Kinneill. 
 
 George Gib in Kinneil Carss, 
 
 Alex. Gib in Inneraven, 
 
 John Glen ther 
 
 John Baird ther 
 
 James Dobbie in Nether Kinneil, 
 
 Patrick Hardie ther, 
 
 John Dick in Woodheid, 
 
 John Wilson in Over Kinneil, 
 
 James Thomson ther, 
 
 James Lithgow in Balderstown, 
 
 John Hardie, maltman in Burrowstown, : ;^ . 
 
 James Thomson ther. 
 
 Barronie of Pollmont. 
 
 James Burn of Clerkstoun, 
 James Monteth ot Myln-hall, 
 Alex. Whyte in Hill, 
 Patrick Ballanden of Parkend,
 
 102 WITCHES OF BORROWSTOONESS. 
 
 John Mairschell in Whyteside, 
 Andrew Johnstown in Pollmont, 
 David Ballanden in Redding, 
 James Gaff ther, 
 George Mureheid ther, 
 William Rwchat of Ruch-haugh, 
 John Grintown in Gillstown Loanfoote, 
 Henry Taylor in Whyteside, 
 John Purgat of Bruchtown Crag. 
 
 Order and Warrand for Burning the Witches of 
 Borrowstownes y Dec. 19, 1679. 
 
 FORSAMEIKLE as Annabil Thomson widdow in 
 Borrowstownes, Margaret Pringle relict of the de- 
 ceast John Campbell ther, Margaret Hamiltown 
 relict of the deceast James Pollwart ther, William 
 Craw indweller ther, Bessie Wicker relict of the 
 deceast James Pennie ther, and Margaret Hamil- 
 town relict of the deceast Thomas Mitchell ther, 
 prisoners in the tolbuith of Borrowstownes, are 
 found guiltie be ane assyse, of the abominable 
 cryme of witchcraft committed be them, in maner 
 mentioned in their dittayes, and are decerned and 
 adjudged be us under subscryvers (commissioners 
 of justiciary speciallie appoynted to this effect) to 
 be taken to the west end of Borrowstownes, the 
 ordinar place of execution ther, upon Tuesday the 
 twentie-third day of December current, betwixt 
 two and four a clock in the efternoon, and ther to
 
 WITCHES OF BORROWSTOUNESS. 103 
 
 be wirried at a steack till they be dead, and there- 
 efter to have their bodies burnt to ashes. These 
 therefoir require and command the baylie principal 
 off the regalitie of Borrowstownes, and his deputts, 
 to see the said sentance and doom put to dew exe- 
 cution in all poynts, as yee will be answerable. 
 Given under our hands at Borrowstownes the nyn- 
 teenth day of December 1679 yeirs. 
 
 W. DUNDAS, 
 RICH. ELPHINSTONE, 
 WA. SANDILANDS, 
 J. CORNWALL, 
 J. HAMILTON.
 
 TRIAL 
 
 OF 
 
 ISOBEL ELLIOT, AND NINE OTHER 
 WOMEN. 
 
 Records of Justiciary, September 13, 1678. 
 
 In 1678, Isobel Elliot and nine other women were 
 tried for witchcraft in one day. The articles of in- 
 dictment against all of them were pretty much the 
 same. Those exhibited against Isobel Elliot were 
 as follows : That about two years ago she staid at 
 home from the kirk at the desire of her mistress, 
 who was a witch, when the devil had a meeting with 
 the prisoner, her mistress, and two other witches ; 
 that he kissed the prisoner, baptized her on the face 
 with an waff" of his hand like a dewing, and offered 
 to he with her, but forbore because she was with 
 child ; that after she was kirked the devil often met 
 her, and had carnal copulation with her. The pri- 
 soner and the other nine miserable women under- 
 went all the legal forms incident to their unhappy 
 situation among that deluded and barbarous people. 
 They had been prosecuted by his Majesty's Advo- 
 cate; they judicially acknowledged their guilt, were 
 convicted by the jury, condemned by the judges, 
 and burned by the executioner, -for having had 
 carnal copulation with the devil '. ! !
 
 THE 
 
 CONFESSIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 HELEN TAYLOR IN EYEMOUTH, 
 
 AND 
 
 MENIE HALYBURTON IN DIRLTON, 
 
 ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT, 1649. 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 DECLARATION 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN KINCAID, PRICKER. 
 
 COPIED FllOM THE ORIGINALS.

 
 THE 
 
 CONFESSIOUN 
 
 OF 
 
 HELENE TAILZEAR. 
 
 JUL 8, 1649, 
 
 BEING the Sabbath day;, Mr Samuel Dowglas, 
 preaching at Eymouth, after sermon, Helen Tail- 
 zear desyred to speik with the said Mr Samuell, 
 who coming to hir, thair being also present Samuel 
 Lauder and George Hailiday, she confessed these 
 particularis, viz. Jirst, at Candilmas bygon two 
 yeirs, scho cam into Isobell Brown's hous, quhair 
 the divill was sitting in the liknes of a gentill man 
 at the tabill drinking with Isobell Brown, who took 
 hir in his armes without any moir speiking at that 
 tyme. 
 
 Secondlte, Scho declairs, that after shee cam to 
 Isobell Brown's hous ***** whair the divill 
 was in the same likness as befor, and layd his 
 hand upon hir head, and sayd, you sail be on of 
 myne so long as you live. And that he gave hir 
 two dolleris, and when shoe cam home they wer 
 butt twa stanes.
 
 108 CONFESSION OF HELEN TAYLOE. 
 
 Thirdlie, Shee declairs, that shee was at ane 
 melting with Isobell Brown, Alison Cairns, Marga- 
 ret Dobson, and Beatrix Young, and that thai went 
 all along to William Burnettis hous, he lying sick, 
 and that coming to the hous, Margaret Dobson was 
 in the liknes of ane black hen, and went in at the 
 chimley head, and Beatrix Young in the liknes of 
 a litill foall, and that hirself was in the liknes of 
 ane litill quhelp ; Isobell Brown wes in hir owin 
 liknes, with a long tail'd courtshaw upon hir head, 
 and Allison Cairns wes in hir owin liknes ; and that 
 Isobell Brown desired her to go into William Bur- 
 nettis bot shee refuissed, quhairupon Isobell Brown 
 did stryk her ***** on the back. 
 
 Fourtlie, Shee declairs that Marioun Robisson 
 wes ane witch, and that shee was William Burnit's 
 death. 
 
 (Signed) Mr SAMUEL DOUGLAS, Minister 
 
 at Coldinghame. 
 S. LAUDEK. 
 G. HALLIDAY.
 
 THE 
 
 DEPOSITION 
 
 OF 
 
 MENIE HALIBURTOUN. 
 
 At Dirltoun, June, 1649. 
 
 COMPEIRIT Menie Halliburton, prissoner within 
 the Castle, suspect of the cryme of witchcraft, de- 
 laitit guiltie be Agnes Clerkson, lait sufferer for the 
 said cryme ; as also be Patrik Watsone, spouse to 
 the said Menie, who lykewisse sufferit thairfoir, 
 and confessit, that auchtein yeir syne, or thairby, 
 hir dochter being seik, scho first sent for Patrik 
 Chrystison in Aberledie, to cum and cure hir doch- 
 ter, and he refuising, went hirself for him, who re- 
 fused to cure hir ; and within * * * days after 
 came the devill in liknes of a man into hir hous, 
 calling himself a physition, and said to her, that 
 he had good salves (and namelie oylispek), whair- 
 with he would cure hir dochter ; and aggreing with 
 him for some of his salves quhilk he gave hir, shee 
 gave him two Inglis shillings. He then departed, 
 and promised to come agane within eight dayis, 
 whilk accordinglie he did, bot or he went away the 
 
 K
 
 110 DEPOSITION OF MANIE HAL1BUETON. 
 
 first tyme, shee gave him milk and breid ; and Pa- 
 trik Watsone coming in, he sent for a pynt of ale ; 
 bot at his second coming he stayit all night, and 
 upon the morne airlie (Patrick being furth), in cam 
 the divill and lay doun with hir, scho being yitt in 
 bed, and had carnal copulatioun with hir, his na- 
 ture being cald. He desyrit hir to renunce Chryst 
 and hir baptisme, and become his servant, quhilk 
 scho did. And sayis, that hir dochter had the 
 wyte of all hir wickit wissing, and wissing she had 
 nevir beene borne. 
 
 This deposition was renewed in all the particu- 
 lars by the said Menie, in the foresaid place, on 
 Sunday the first of July, 1649, before Alexander 
 Levingston of Saltcoatts, James Borthwick cham- 
 berlane, James Lawder, John Stalker baillie, Wm. 
 Dalzell, and Mr John M'Ghie, minister at Dirl- 
 toun. 
 
 (Signed) J. MAKGHIE. 
 
 ALEX. LEVIUGSTOUN, witness. 
 
 JA. BORTHWICK. 
 
 JAMES LAUDER. 
 
 JOHN STALKEK. 
 
 W. DALZELL. 
 
 WALTER MARSHAJLL.
 
 THE 
 
 DECLARATION 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN KINCAID. 
 
 JUXE, 1649. 
 
 THE whilk day, in presence of Alex. Leving- 
 ston of Saltcoattis, James Borthwick chalmerlain 
 of Dirltoun, John Stalker baillie thairof, James 
 Foirman in Drem, Mr James Achieson in North- 
 Berwick, and William Dalzell notar, Patrick Wat- 
 son in West Fenton, and Menie Haliburtoun his 
 spous, bruitted and long suspect of witchcraft, of 
 t7tair awinfrie will uncompettit, heiring that I John 
 Kincaid under subscryvand wes in the toune of 
 Dirltoune, and had some skill and dexterity in try- 
 ing of the divillis marke in the personis of such as 
 wer suspect to be witches, came to the broad hall 
 in the Castell of Dirltoune, and desyred me the 
 said John Kincaid to use my try all of thame as I 
 had done on utheris, whilk when I had done, I 
 found the divillis marke upon the bak syde of the 
 said Patrik Watsone, a littill under the point of 
 his left shoulder, and upon the left syde of the said
 
 118 DECLARATION OF JOHN KINCAIB. 
 
 Menie Halyburtoun hir neck a littill above her left 
 shoulder, whairof thay wer not sensible, neither 
 cam furth thairof any bloode after I had tryed the 
 samin as exactlie as ever I did any uthers. This 
 I testifie to be of veritie upon my credit and con- 
 science. In wrtnes quhairof, I have subscryvit thir 
 presentis with my hand, day and place forsaid, be- 
 foir ther witnesses above specifiet. 
 
 J. K. 
 
 ALEX. LEVINGSTOUN, witness. 
 JA. BORTHWICK, witness. 
 JOHN STALKER, witness. 
 JAMES FORMAN, witness. 
 JA. ACHESONE, witness. 
 W. DALZELL, witness.
 
 THE 
 
 TRIAL 
 
 OF 
 
 WILLIAM COKE AND ALISON DICK, 
 
 FOR 
 
 WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 flxtroctedfrom the Minutes of the Kirk-Session of 
 Kirlcaldy, A. D. 1636. 
 
 September 6th, 1633. 
 
 THE which day, compeared Alison Dick, chal- 
 lenged upon some speeches uttered by her against 
 William Coke, tending to witchcraft,* denied the 
 samyne. 
 
 1. Compeared Alexander Savage, Andrew Nicol, 
 and George Tillie, who being admitted and 
 sworn, deponed as follows : The said Alexander 
 Savage, that he heard the said Alison Dick say 
 to her husband William Coke, ' Thou has put 
 down many ships ; it had been gude for the 
 people of Kirkaldie, that they had knit a stone 
 about thy neck and drowned thee.'
 
 TRIAL OF WILLIAM COJCE 
 
 2. Andrew Nicol deponed, that he heard the said 
 Alison say to him, Thou has gotten the wo- 
 man's song laid, as thou promised ; thou art 
 over-long living ; it had been gude for the wo- 
 men of Kirkaldy, that thou had been dead long 
 since. I shall cause all the world wonder upon 
 thee.' 
 
 3. George Tillie deponed, that he heard her say to 
 him, ' It had been gude for the women of Kirk- 
 aldy, to put him to death ; and that he had died 
 seven years since. 1 
 
 Also compeared Jean Adamson, Kathrine Spens, 
 Marion Meason, Isobel Murison, Alison Kelloch, 
 who being admitted and sworn, deponed as follows : 
 
 4. Jean Adamson deponed, that she heard Alison 
 
 Dick say to her husband William Coke, 'Thief! 
 Thief ! what is this that I have been doing ? 
 keeping the thretty years from meikle evil do- 
 ing. Many pretty men has thou putten down 
 both in ships and boats ; thou has gotten the 
 woman's song laid now. Let honest men pud- 
 dle and work as they like, if they please not 
 thee well, they shall not have meikle to the fore 
 when they die.' 
 
 5. Kathrine Spens deponed, that she heard her say 
 to him, * Common thief, I have hindered thee 
 from many ill turns doing, both to ships and 
 boats.' 
 
 6 Marion Meason deponed, that she heard her say, 
 ' Common thief, mony ill turn have I hinder-
 
 AND ALISON DICK. 115 
 
 ed thee from doing thir thretty years ; mony 
 ships and boats has thou put down ; and when 
 I would have halden the string to have saved 
 one man, thou wald not.' 
 
 7. Isobel Murison deponed, that she heard her say 
 to him, ' Thief, thief, I have keeped thee from 
 doing many ill turnes. Thou has now laid the 
 woman's song.' 
 
 September 24^, 1633. 
 
 8. Compeared Janet Allan, relict of umquhile 
 
 John Duncan fisher, deponed, that Alison Dick 
 came in upon a certain time to her house, when 
 she was lying in of a bairn, and craved some 
 sour bakes ; and she denying to give her any, 
 the said Alison said, your bairns shall beg yet, 
 (as they do.) And her husband being angry 
 at her, reproved her ; and she abused him in 
 language ; and when he strak her, she said, that 
 she should cause him rue it ; and she hoped to 
 see the powarts bigg in his hair ; and within 
 half a year he was casten away, and his boat, 
 and perished. 
 
 9. Janet Sauders, daughter-in-law to the said Wil- 
 
 liam Coke and Alison Dick, deponed, that Wil- 
 liam Coke came in to her, and she being weep- 
 ing, he demanded the cause of it, she answered, 
 it was for her husband. The said William said, 
 What ails thee ? Thou wilt get thy gudman 
 again, but ye will get him both naked and bare ; 
 and whereas there was no word of him for a
 
 116 TRIAL OF -WILLIAM COKE 
 
 long time before, he came home within two days 
 thereafter, naked and bare as he said ; the ship 
 wherein he was being casten away. 
 
 4. 10. Jean Adamson deponed, that when her gud- 
 man sailed with David Robertson, the said Da- 
 vid having sent him home with a ship to come 
 for Scotland, there was a long time that there 
 was no word of that ship ; so that David Ro- 
 bertson coming home, and the other ship not 
 come, nor no word from her, he said he would 
 never see her. The said Alison Dick came in 
 to her, (she with her bairns being weeping), 
 and said, What ails ye Jean to weep ? She an- 
 swered, We have all good cause to weep for my 
 husband, whom we will never see more. The 
 said Alison said, hold your tongue, your gud- 
 man and all the company are well enough ; they 
 are in Norway loading their ship with timber to 
 come home, they will be here shortly. And so 
 it fell out in every point as she said. 
 
 5. 11. Kathrine Spens deponed, that William Coke 
 came in to her, after that his wife had spoken 
 so much evil to him, and said, Kathrine, my 
 wife has spoken nieikle ill of me this day, but 
 I said nothing to her again. If I had spoken 
 two words to her the last time she was in the 
 steeple, she would never have gotten out of it 
 
 Minutes of 24th September, ordains Mr James 
 Miller to ride to Preston for the man that tries 
 the witches. The expence to be paid by the 
 Town and Session.
 
 AND ALISON DICK. 117 
 
 September 8th, 
 
 12. Compeared Isobel Hay, spouse to Alexander 
 Law, against Alison Dick, who being sworn, 
 deponed, that she having come in to her house, 
 her husband being newly sailed, she craved 
 some money of her, which she refused, and boast- 
 ed her. The said Alison said, It shall gang wair 
 geats ; and that same voyage, her husband had 
 great loss. And thereafter, the said Alison came 
 in to her house, she being furth, and took her 
 sister by the hand, and since that time, the 
 maiden had never been in her right wits. 
 
 13. William Bervie declared, that Robert Whyt 
 having once stricken William Coke, Alison Dick 
 his wife, came to the said Robert, and said, 
 Wherefore have ye stricken my husband ? I 
 shall cause you rue it. The said Robert reply- 
 ing, What sayest thou ? I shall give you as 
 much you witch. She answered, Witches 
 take the wit and the grace from you ;' and that 
 same night, he was bereft of his wits. 
 
 14. Janet Whyt, daughter to the said Robert, 
 compearing, affirmed the said dittay to be true 
 upon her oath. And added, that she went to 
 the said Alison, and reproved her, laying the 
 wyt of her father's sickness upon her. Let him 
 pay me then, and he will be better ; but if he 
 pay me not, he will be worse ; for there is 
 none that does me wrong, but I go to my god 
 and complains upon them, and within 24 hours
 
 118 TRIAL OF WILLIAM COKE 
 
 I will get amends of them. The said Janet 
 Whyt declared, that Alison Dick said to her 
 servant, Agnes Fairlie, I have gotten a grip of 
 your gudwife's thigh ; I shall get a grip of her 
 leg next ; the said Janet having burnt her thigh 
 before with lint : and thereafter she has taken 
 such a pain in her leg, that she can get no re- 
 medy for it. Whilk the said Agnes Fairlie de- 
 poned upon her great oath to be true 
 15. Alison Dick herself declared, that David Pa- 
 terson, skipper, having struck William Coke 
 her husband, and drawn him by the feet, and 
 compelled him to bear his gear aboard, the said 
 William cursed the said David, and that voy- 
 age he was taken by the Dunkirkers. Also, 
 at another time thereafter, he compelled him 
 to bear his gear aboard, and a captain's who 
 was with him, and when the captain would 
 have paid him, the said David would not suffer 
 him ; but he himself gave him what he liked. 
 The said William cursed the said David very 
 vehemently ; and at that time he himself pe- 
 rished, his ship, and all his company, except 
 two or three. Also she declared, that when his 
 own son sailed in David Whyt's ship, and gave 
 not his father his bonnallie, * the said William 
 said, What ? Is he sailed, and given me no- 
 thing ? The devil be with him ; if ever he come 
 home again, he shall come home naked and 
 bare ; and so it fell out. For John Whyt, 
 
 * His farewell cup.
 
 AND ALISON DICK. 119 
 
 who had that ship freighted to Norway, and 
 another wherein himself was, declared, that 
 they had very foul weather ; and the ship 
 wherein the said young William Coke was, 
 perished ; and he saved all the men in the ship 
 wherein he was himself. And albeit the storm 
 increased two days before the perishing of the 
 said ship, and six days after, yet the two hours 
 space in which they were saving the men, it 
 was so calm in that part of the sea, that they 
 rowed from one ship to the other with two 
 oars, and the sea was all troublesome about 
 them. And the said William Coke the younger, 
 was the first man that came a shipboard. 
 
 Faction. The same day, Alison Dick being de- 
 manded by Mr James Simson, minister, when, 
 and how, she fell in covenant with the devil ? 
 She answered, her husband mony times urged 
 her, and she yielded only two or three years 
 since. The manner was thus He gave her, 
 soul and body, quick and quidder full to the 
 devil, and bade her do so. But she in her 
 heart said, God guide me. And then she said 
 to him, I shall do any thing that ye bid me : 
 and so she gave herself to the devil in the fore- 
 said words. This she confessed about four 
 hours at even, freely, without compulsion, be- 
 fore Mr James Simeon, minister, William Ten- 
 nent, baillie, Robert French, town-clerk, Mr 
 John Malcolme, schoolmaster, William Craig,
 
 120 TRIAL OF WILLIAM COKE 
 
 and me, the said Mr James Miller, writer here- 
 of. 
 
 October 15th. 
 
 16. The which day, compeared Christian Ronald- 
 son, against Alison Dick, who, in her presence 
 being sworn, deponed, that she having set an 
 house to the said Alison, and when the gudman 
 came home he was angry, and said, he would 
 not have the devil to dwell above him in the 
 closs ; and he went and struck up the door, 
 and put forth the chimney that she put in it. 
 And thereafter, Alison came to the said Chris- 
 tian, and chopped upon her shoulder, and said 
 to her, Christie, your gudman is going to sail, 
 and he has ane stock among his hands, but ere 
 long, his stock shall be as short as mine. And 
 so it fell out, for he was casten away in David 
 Whyt^s ship, and saved nothing. 
 
 October 
 
 17. Compeared Merjory Marshall, against Alison 
 Dick, who being sworn, deponed, that Alison 
 having brought her gudman's cloaths once from 
 the Castle-haven, * she offered her 12d for her 
 labour, who would not have it ; and she said to 
 her, Alison, there is not many of them. She 
 
 * Probably Ravenscraig Castle, at the east end of Path- 
 head. ED.
 
 AND ALISON DICK. 121 
 
 answered, they shall be fewer the next time ; 
 and the next voyage he was cast away in David 
 Whyt's ship. 
 
 1 8. Compeared also Kathrine Wilson, who being 
 sworn, deponed, that she and Janet Whyt be- 
 ing sliding together, Alison Dick came to them, 
 and asked silver from Janet Whyt, who would 
 give her none, but fled her company into the 
 said Kathrine's house, and she followed, and 
 she gave her a piece bread, and Janet Whyt 
 bade her give her a plack also, and she should 
 pay her again. And when she got it, she said, 
 Is this all that she gives me ? If she had given 
 me a groat, it would have vantaged her a thou- 
 sand punds. This is your doing, evil tidings 
 come upon you. And she went down the closs, 
 and pissed at their meal-cellar door ; and after 
 that, they had never meal in that cellar, (they 
 being meal makers.) And thereafter they 
 bought a horse at 40 lib., and the horse never 
 carried a load to them but two, but died in the 
 batts, louplng to death, so that every body said 
 that he was witched 
 
 October 29th. 
 
 19. Euphen Boswell being sworn, deponed, that 
 her gudman being to sail to the East country, 
 loaden with salt, the said Alison Dick having 
 born some of the salt aboard, she came to her 
 and craved money from her, who gave her meat, 
 but would give her no money, saying to her, 
 Alison, my gudman has paid you himself, and
 
 TEIAL OF WILLIAM COKE 
 
 therefore, I will give you nothing. She re- 
 plied, Will ye give me nothing ? I hope in God 
 it will be better sharp (cheaper) sold nor it was 
 bought : and so it fell out, for the ship sailed 
 upon the morn, and the day after that, she 
 sank, salt and all, except the men, who were 
 saved by another ship that was near by them. 
 20. Thomas Mustard being sworn, deponed, that 
 James Wilson going once to sail, Alison Dick 
 came to him, and desyred silver from him, he 
 would give her none ; she abused him with lan- 
 guage, and he struck her ; she said to him, that 
 that hand should do him little good that voy- 
 age ; and within two days after, his hand swell- 
 ed as great as a pint-stoup, so that he could get 
 little or nothing done with it. The next time 
 also when he was to sail, the said Alison went 
 betwixt him and the boat ; and he said, Yon 
 same witch thief is going betwixt me and the 
 boat, I must have blood of her ; and he went 
 and struck her, and bled her, and she cursed 
 him and banned him ; and that same voyage, 
 he being in Caithness, standing upon the shore 
 cleithing a tow, and a boy with him, the sea 
 came and took him away, and he died ; and the 
 boy was well enough. 
 
 Desires Mr Robert Douglas* to go to the Arch- 
 bishop with this process, to get his approbation 
 thereto, who takes upon him to do the same. 
 
 Who preached the famous coronation sermon of Charles II. 
 at Scone, January 1st 1651.
 
 AND ALISON DICK. 123 
 
 Minute of November IQth 5s. given for a load of 
 coals to Alison Dick ; 14s. for her entertain- 
 ment this week bygone, being this day, with 
 her husband William Coke, burnt for witch- 
 craft. 
 
 In the minute of \7th December, there is a parti- 
 cular account of the Town and Session* s extraordi- 
 nary Debursements for William Coke and Alison 
 Witches. 
 
 In primis. To Mr James Miller, when 
 he went to Prestowne for 
 a man to try them, 47s. 2 7 
 
 Item. To the man of Culross, 
 (the executioner) when he 
 went away the first time, 
 12s. ... 12 
 
 Item. For coals for the witches, 
 
 24s. ... 1 4 
 
 Item. In purchasing the commis- 
 
 sion, - - 93 
 
 Item. For one to go to Finmouth 
 for the laird to sit upon 
 their assise as judge, 6 
 
 /few. For harden to be jumps to 
 
 them, - - 3 10 
 
 Item. For making of them, - 8 
 
 Summa for the kirk's part - ,17 1 Scots.
 
 124 TKIAL OF WILLIAM COKE, &C. 
 
 The Town^s part of Expenses Debursed extraordi- 
 narily upon William Coke and Alison Dick. 
 
 In primis.For ten loads of coals to 
 
 burn them, 5 merks, 2 6 8 
 Item. For a tar barrel, 14s. 14 
 Item. For towes, - - - 060 
 Item. To him that brought the 
 
 executioner, - 2 18 
 Item. To the executioner for 
 
 his pains, - - - 8 14 
 Item. For his expenses here, 16 4 
 Item. For one to go to Fin- 
 
 mouth for the laird, 060 
 
 Summa town's part, - 11 10 Scots. 
 Both, - 34 11
 
 The following account is a voucher of a payment 
 made by Alexander Louddon, a factor on tl>6 
 estate of Burncasile, the proprietor being then 
 minor and infant. It is entered in the factor's 
 books thus : 
 
 Mair for Margarit Dunhome the time sche was in 
 prison, and was put. to death, 065 : 14s : 4>. 
 
 Count gifin out be Alexander Louddon in Lyl- 
 stoun, in ye yeir of God 1649 yeiris, for Mar- 
 grit Dollmoune in Burncastell. 
 
 Item, in ye first, to Wm. Currie and 
 
 Andrew Gray for the watching of 
 
 hir ye space of SO days, inde ilk 
 
 day, xxx sh inde - - xlv lib Scotts 
 Item mair to Jon Kinked fqr brod- 
 
 ding of her * - . . . vi lib Scotts 
 Mair for meat and drink and wyue to 
 
 him and his man - -r iiij lib Scotts 
 Mair for cloth to hir - - iij lib Scotts 
 
 Mair for twa tare treis - - xl sh Scotts 
 Item mair for twa treis, and ye ma- 
 king of them to the warkmen - iij lib Scotts 
 Item to ye hangman in Hadingtoun, 
 
 and fetchin of him, thrie dollores 
 
 for his pens, is iiij lib xiiii sh 
 
 Item mair for meit and drink and 
 
 wyne for his intertinge - iii lib Scotts 
 
 * See hia declaration, page ill.
 
 126 EXPENSE OF BURNING A WITCH. 
 
 Item mair fer ane man and twa horss, 
 for ye fetcheing of him, and ta- 
 king of him hame agane xl sh Scotts 
 
 Mair to hir for meit and drink ilk ane 
 day, iiij sh the space of xxx dayes, 
 is - vi lib Scotts 
 
 Item mair to ye twa officers for yr fie 
 ilk day sex shilline aught pennes, 
 is - - - x lib Scotts 
 
 Summa is iiij scoir xii lib xiiij sh 
 
 GHILBEET LAUDEB. 
 UM. LAUDEU BILZAUES. 
 
 Takin of this above written soume twentie-seaven 
 pundis Scotis qlk the said umql Margrit Din- 
 ham had of her ain. 
 
 92 : 14 : 
 27 : : 
 
 65:14:
 
 MINUTES 
 
 AND 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SESSION 
 
 OF 
 
 TORRYBURN, IN FIFESHIRE, 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 CONFESSION 
 
 OF 
 
 LILLIAS ADIE. 
 
 TAKEN FBOM THE SESSION EECORDS
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 Torry, June 30th, 1704. 
 
 SEDERUNT, WM. HUTTON, WM. DALGLISH, WM. REID, 
 JOHN MITCHELL, DAVID CORKY, GEO. TILLOCH, 
 WITH THE MINISTER. 
 
 THE session being called, pro re nata, upon a fla- 
 grant rumour, that Jean Bizet, wife to James Ta- 
 nochie, had been molested by Satan, and had com- 
 plained of some particular person of the deviPs in- 
 struments in that trouble that she lay under. Where- 
 upon the minister ordered the officer to cite the 
 said Jean Bizet, also Lilias Adie and Janet Whyte, 
 whom she was said to complain of; and also to cite 
 Mary Wilson, who is said to have taken the charm 
 by stroking up her head ; and also, he ordered the 
 officer to cite Tanochie's daughter, with James 
 Tanochie, James Whyte and his wife, Helen An- 
 derson, and Mary Nielson, who are said to know 
 something of the circumstances of that aflair. 
 
 , Jean Bizet being called, compeared not, upon 
 which the officer is ordered to cite her to the 
 next. 
 
 2do, There being a public report that Janet Whyte 
 should have threatened James Tanochie's family
 
 130 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 Avith a mischief, but particularly his wife, before 
 this befell ; the said Janet was called, and in- 
 terrogate, if ever she threatened James Tano- 
 chie's wife, she declares, that she never threat- 
 ened any such thing, nor thought so. More- 
 over, she said, that James his wife would not 
 say so, otherwise she would lay down her head 
 upon a scaffold. She said, that she was not at 
 her since she took that distemper, and saw her 
 not since, but saw her on the Monday before, 
 and her husband's daughter, and Jean Archi- 
 bald in Culross ; but upon the morrow the wo- 
 man was troubled. James White being called, 
 declared, that Jean Bizet was in a distemper 
 upon Tuesday the 13th day of June, in Helen 
 Anderson's house, betwixt 9 and 10 at night, 
 and seemed drunk. 
 
 Stio, That she drank not a gill in that house, but 
 before she came to Helen's house, she was about 
 half an hour in Mary Wilson's. 
 
 4to, She seemed to be strangely distempered, and 
 he heard her say, Agnes, beware lest Lilias 
 Adie come upon you and your child. 
 
 %d t She said to Mary Nielson, Lilias Adie thinks 
 to use me as she used your sister. 
 
 3/io, She complained upon Mary Wilson, but none 
 saw the said Mary ; as she went home, she cry- 
 ed, now, now, Jenny , Pll be Jetted now, there 
 three blew doublets, frequently, and wringing 
 her hands. Note She got a considerable sleep 
 in Helen Anderson's. 
 
 5to, As she went home, he had let her go, and she
 
 OF TOHRYBUflN. 
 
 not only went freely, but did run violently, 
 without stumbling in the least, the breadth of 
 Torry Park, and he had difficulty to overtake 
 her, notwithstanding there was both a dyke 
 and furrows in the way. 
 
 6fo, He declared, that he heard that the next day 
 she was no better. 
 
 Trao, He declared, that on the Monday before, 
 Janet Whyte said to him, before James Alex- 
 ander in Drumfin, that she would make Jean 
 Bizet forethink what she had done to her in not 
 paying her two barrels of ale which she sold her, 
 on this purpose she could not get the maltman 
 payed. 
 
 zo, Helen Anderson being called, declared, that 
 Jean Bizet was in her house, out of Mary Wil- 
 son's, about 5 or 6 at night the foresaid day, 
 and she seemed to be strangely distempered. 
 L 2dty) Her eyes raised, and could drink none. 
 Stio, Ater she had sleeped from 6 to near 9, 
 and when she awaked, she cryed, by God he is 
 going to take me ! by Christ he is going to take 
 me! O Lilly with her blew doublet ! O Mary, 
 Mary Wilson ! repeating Christ keep ine ! Upon 
 which Helen said to her husband, did you ever 
 see her in this condition ? He answered, never 
 in my life, but she is too much taken up with 
 that company, but let me to her, I shall ding 
 the devil out of her. For this she appeals to 
 James Tanochie and his son, She and James 
 Whyte declares both, that they are clear to de- 
 pone the same.
 
 132 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 Agnes Henderson, wife to James Whyte, called, 
 compeared, declared, that she was sent for to James 
 Tanochie's wife the day foresaid, who was in a great 
 trouble, and never saw her in the like. 2^7, That 
 she sleept a while, and when she awoke, she cryed, 
 O God ! O Christ ! there is Lilt/ coming to take me, 
 and three blew doublets ! O Mary Wilson keep me, 
 she is coming ! She adds, that Jean was in Mary 
 Wilson's before she came to Helen Anderson's, 
 and she said, that she desired her to go home, for 
 Lilly will take you and the child both. She heard 
 her say to Mary Wilson, it was not to you that 
 she did evil, but to your sister, what aileth her at 
 me, I never did her any ill. And as she went 
 home, she seemed raised, but went and spak very 
 well, and she went with her, she heard her speak 
 often of Lilly by the way, that she was coming to 
 take her. And she adds, that as she came first 
 into the Newmiln, that she looked and spoke as 
 heartsomely as ever she saw her, and seemed no way 
 disordered ; and having carried one of James 
 Whyte's children from the Newmiln to James's 
 house. And, on the next day, being Wednesday, 
 she went to see how she was, and found her com- 
 plaining of a sore head, and in a sweat, and she 
 seemed not right ; and she says, she is clear to de- 
 pone what she has declared. 
 
 Mary Nielson being called in, said, that when 
 Jean Bizet came to her mistress Helen Anderson 
 her house, she was not within, but she was within 
 when she awoke out of her sleep. 2d, She heard 
 her say, O God ! O Christ Jesus keep me ! 3tio, She
 
 Of TOIIRYBUEN. 133 
 
 heard her say, O keep me ! keep me ! there she is 
 coming, Lilly Adie with her blew doublet ! 4/o, O 
 Mary Wilson ! O Mary Wilson ! 5to, She said, as 
 she went away out of the house, she did no ill to 
 you, but to your sister. She is clear to depone all 
 this. 
 
 Jean Bizet being called in, declares, that on the 
 foresaid Tuesday, she came to the Newmiln in the 
 forenoon, carrying James Whyte's son on her back 
 from the Craigmiln, and James Whyte was with 
 her. 2d, She came first to Helen Anderson her 
 house, and her husband being upon business, she 
 went to Helen Tilloch her house. 3tio, She went 
 to Mary Wilson's house, Avhere Lott Nicol, with 
 Isobel Harlay, were drinking in the room next to 
 the door, and she went by them to the room, where 
 Mary Wilson filled a pint of ale and desired her to 
 drink of it. She took a drink, but did not drink 
 beyond a gill of it ; and Helen Tilloch, and Jean 
 Tilloch, came in and drank the rest, with many 
 others. 4fo, She could scarcely have been a quar- 
 ter of an hour there, and that she returned to Helen 
 Anderson her house immediately. 
 
 Mary Wilson called, said, when Jean Bizet came 
 to her house, she called for a choppin of ale, and 
 stayed until that was drunk, and another was fill- 
 ed, and a part of that was drunk. %d, There was 
 none but Helen Tilloch and Jean Bizet, and her- 
 self, at the drinking of that ale. 3io, Euphan 
 Nicol came in, and she took a drink of it. 4fo, She 
 declares, that Jean Tilloch was not within the door 
 then. 5to, Robert Nicol and Catharine Mitchell, 
 M
 
 134 MINUTES OF THE KIRJt-SESSION 
 
 and Margaret Nicol, sister to Robert Nicol, were 
 drinking at the fire-side. 6to, She declares, that 
 she seemeed no ways disordered with drink, nor 
 any other way. Two, She went up to her on Thurs- 
 day afternoon, and she found her lying on her bed, 
 and straked her head, and whether she was imme- 
 diately the better of it, or not, she knew not ; but 
 she left her sitting at the fire-side with her child on 
 her knee. 
 
 Jean Bizet says, Jean Til loch was really there. 
 2d, She says it was Friday afternoon before she 
 settled. 
 
 Torryburn, 2<M July, 1704. After Prayer, St- 
 derunt, Minister and Elders. 
 
 Lillias Adie being accused of witchcraft by Jean 
 Neilson, who is dreadfully tormented, the said 
 Lillias was incarcerate by Bailie Williamson about 
 ten of the night upon the 28th of July. 
 
 Lillias being exhorted to declare the truth, and 
 nothing but truth, she replied, what I am to say 
 shall be as true as the sun is in the firmament. 
 
 Being interrogate if she was in compact with the 
 devil, she replied, I am in compact with the de- 
 vil, and have been so since before the second burn- 
 ing of the witches in this place She further de- 
 clared, that the first time she met with the devil 
 was at the Gollet, between Torryburn and New- 
 milne, in the harvest, before the sun set, where he
 
 OF TORRYBURN. 135 
 
 trysted to meet her the day after, which tryst she 
 kept, and the devil took her to a stook side, and 
 caused her renounce her baptism ; the ceremony he 
 used was, he put one hand on the crown of her 
 head, and the other on the soles of her feet, with 
 her own consent, and caused her say all was the 
 deviPs betwixt the crown of her head and the soles 
 of her feet ; and there the devil lay with her car- 
 nally ; and that his skin was cold, and his colour 
 black and pale, he had a hat on his head, and his 
 feet was cloven like the feet of a stirk, as she ob- 
 served when he went from her. 
 
 The next time she saw him was at a meeting at 
 the Barnrods, to which she was summoned by 
 Grissel Anderson in Newmilne, about Martinmas, 
 their number was about twenty or thirty, whereof 
 none are now living but herself. She adds, it was 
 a moon-light night, and they danced some time be- 
 fore the devil came on a ponny, with a hat on his 
 head, and they clapt their hands and cryed, tliere 
 our Prince, tliere our Prince, with whom they 
 danced about an hour. 
 
 The next time was at a meeting at the back of 
 Patrick Sands his house, in Valleyfield, where the 
 devil came with a cap which covered his ears and 
 neck ; they had no moonlight. Being interrogate 
 if they had any light, she replied, she got light 
 from darkness, and could not tell what that light 
 was, but she heard them say it came from darkness, 
 and went to darkness, and said, it is not so bright 
 as a candle, the low thereof being blue, yet it gave 
 such a light as they could discern others faces.
 
 136 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 There they abode about an hour, and danced at, 
 formerly ; she knew none at the meeting but Els- 
 peth Williamson, whom she saw at the close of 
 the meeting coming down by the dyke-side ; and 
 she said, she was also at another meeting in the 
 Haugh of Torrv, where they were furnished with 
 the former light, and she saw Elspeth Williamson 
 there also. 
 
 July 31s, 1704. -After Prayer^ Se&erunt, Mini- 
 ster and Elders. 
 
 Lillias Adie adhered to her former confession, 
 and added, there were many meetings she was not 
 witness to, and was at many of which she could 
 give no particular account ; and you will get more 
 news after this. Being interrogate if she knew any 
 more witches in the place, she replied, Agnes Cur- 
 rie is a witch, but she is a bold woman, and will 
 flee upon me if I should delate her. 
 
 Being interrogate if the devil had a sword, she 
 replied, she believed he durst not use a sword ; and 
 called him a villain that promised her many good 
 things when she engaged with him, but never gave 
 her any thing but misery and poverty. 
 
 The last meeting ever she was at, was 1 4 days 
 after the Sacrament, in the month of August 1701, 
 upon the minister's glebe where the tent stood, their 
 number was 16 or 18, whereof Agnes Currie was 
 one. She added, that she made an apology to the
 
 OF TOJillYBUEN. 137 
 
 meeting, because she could not wait upon them all 
 the time, being obliged to go to Borrowstouness 
 that morning's tide. She added, that she heard 
 Jean Neilson was possessed with a devil, and trou- 
 bled with a fit of distemper, but declared she never 
 wronged her, though the devil may do it in her 
 likeness. 
 
 Elspeth Williamson being called, came into the 
 prison where the session sate, and being interrogate 
 if Lillias Adie had any envy at her, she answered, 
 she knew no envy she had at her. Lillias being 
 interrogate if Elspeth Williamson was guilty of 
 witchcraft, she replied, she is as guilty as I am, 
 and my guilt is as sure as God is in heaven. 
 
 The next time she saw the devil was about half 
 a year ago, as she went to Culross, she saw him at 
 the west end of the coal-fold. 
 
 Upon the affair of Janet Whyte, James Alex- 
 ander being called, compeared, and declared that 
 he never heard Janet Whyte threaten Jean Bizet 
 in the least. 
 
 James White called, declared ut ante, but adds, 
 that upon Friday was eight days, the 21st of July, 
 he heard a great screeching when he was in the 
 Craigmilne upon the bleaching green, beneath the 
 said milne, and heard a second screech much 
 greater, and clapping of hands and laughing, about 
 twelve of the night, in the green on the other side 
 of the burn ; and it was observed by the bleachers 
 to be all pastered, though there was no cloth at the 
 burn, nor bleachers that night. Also, on the se- 
 cond of August 1704, Lillias declared before wit-
 
 138 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 nesses, that Grissel Anderson invited her to her 
 house on that Lammas day, the morning just before 
 the last burning of the witches. Grissel desired her 
 to come and speak with a man there ; accordingly 
 she went in there about day-break, where there was 
 a number of witches, some laughing, some stand- 
 ing, others sitting, but she came immediately away, 
 being to go to Lammas fair ; and several of them 
 were taken shortly after, and Grissel Anderson 
 among the rest, who was burnt, and some of them 
 taken that very week. She adds, that Euphan 
 Stirt warned her to the meeting at the Barnrod ; 
 and the said Euphan was burnt afterward, though 
 she had been no longer a witch than a month be- 
 fore her death. She added, that she knew few of 
 them that were at those meetings, especially the 
 young sort, because they were masked like gentle- 
 women ; and if Agnes Curriers heart would fall, 
 she could tell as much as any, being in the midst 
 of the meeting, where she saw her face by the blue 
 low near Patrick Sands. 
 
 At Torryburn, August 19th, 1704. After Prayer, 
 Sederunt, fyc. Minister and Elders. 
 
 Elspeth Williamson declared, that shortly after 
 the last communion, there came a woman to her 
 door, and bade her go east the way, whom she fol- 
 lowed the length of the church-yard, and leaned 
 upon the dyke, and saw a bouroch of women, some
 
 OF TORRYBURN, 139 
 
 with black heads, were sitting where the tent stood. 
 The woman that called her, went straight to the 
 meeting, and fell down upon her knees, whereat 
 she wondered, and hearkened if there was any read- 
 ing or singing of psalms among them, and when she 
 heard none, she thought she was in the wrong 
 place, and did not think the woman would have 
 taken her to the devil's meeting. She thought the 
 woman was Mary Wilson, but is not certain ; and 
 about ten at night, some time after, a young lass 
 came to her door, and desired her to go westward 
 a little, whom she followed, but knew not the lass, 
 she went so fast west the town before her, and was 
 got the length of the Gollet or she came to the west 
 end of the town ; and when she was come west near 
 the Gollet, she saw a meeting of women and some 
 men, and she stood at a little distance from them, 
 and saw them go through other for the space of 
 near an hour, and removed insensibly eastward from 
 her, upon which she stole away. 
 
 Lillias Adie confessed, that after she entered in- 
 to compact with Satan, he appeared to her some 
 hundred of times, and that the devil himself sum- 
 moned her to that meeting which was on the glebe, 
 he coming into her house like a shadow, and went 
 away like a shadow ; and added, that she saw Els- 
 peth Williamson and Agnes Currie both there, 
 only Agnes was nearer the meeting than Elspeth, 
 who was leaning on the church-yard dike with her 
 elbow. She added, that the devil bade her attend 
 many meetings that she could not attend, for age 
 and sickness ; and though he appeared not to her
 
 140 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 when there was company with her, yet he appeared 
 to her like a shadow, so that none could see him 
 but herself. At another time, she said, that when 
 she renounced her baptism, the devil first spoke 
 the words, and she repeated them after him, and 
 that as he went away she did not hear his feet on 
 the stubble. 
 
 August %Qth 1704. After Prayer, Sederunf, 
 Minister and Elders. 
 
 It is to be minded, that Lillias Adie appeared 
 before the congregation on the Lord's day, and 
 being called up by the minister and asked if she 
 was guilty of witchcraft, she confessed freely that 
 she was, and had entered expressly into covenant 
 with Satan, and renounced her baptism, the devil 
 putting one hand on the crown of her head, and 
 the other under the soles of her feet, and she gave 
 over all to the devil that was betwixt his two hands, 
 and she was come hither to confess her sins, and 
 to get her renounced baptism back again. She al- 
 so desired all that had power with God to pray for 
 her ; to this the minister and elders, and whole 
 congregation, were witnesses. 
 
 It being reported, that Agnes Currie should 
 have delated Bessie Callander and Mary Wilson, 
 guilty of witchcraft ; Agnes being called, eompear- 
 ed and declared, that Robert Currie told her Els- 
 peth Williamson told him that Bessie Callander 
 and Mary Wilson, were witches.
 
 OF TORRYBURN. 141 
 
 George Stewart, solemnly sworn, purged of ma- 
 lice and partial counsel, aged 27 years, married, 
 deponed, that Agnes Currie said to him, Til tell 
 you, but you must not let any of your folk know 
 of it ; he replied, I believe in Christ, I hope the 
 devil hath no power over me. Ha, ha, said she, 
 the devil hath done wrong to many, and he may 
 wrong your friends or goods. Elspeth Williamson 
 told Robert Currie, and Robert Currie told me, 
 that Bessie Callander and Mary Wilson, are guilty 
 of witchcraft. And this is truth, as he shall an- 
 swer. Causa scientia. 
 
 Sic subscribitur, G. S. 
 
 James Paton, solemnly sworn, purged of malice 
 and partial counsel, aged between 22 and 23 years, 
 depones, he was not requiring any thing of her by 
 way of confession of persons names to which she 
 assented in the mean time, but Agnes Currie said 
 to him, there are two witches in Newmilne, and 
 one of them is at the Bridgend ; upon which I re- 
 plied, you must tell me, for I have a sister there. 
 Agnes replied, her name begins with a B, George 
 Marshall replied, is that our Bessie, she answered, 
 you are right enough, it's Bessie Callander. As to 
 the other person, she would not tell her name at 
 first, but said, she is be-east your house, but after 
 owned the person to be Mary Wilson, but desired 
 him not to divulge it to your mother or sister, least 
 these persons do you ill. This is the truth, as he 
 shall answer. Causa scientia. 
 
 Sic subscribitur, JA. PATON.
 
 142 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 George Marshall, sworn, purged, &c. ut supra, 
 aged 39 years, married, declared, ut supra, and 
 added, that she said, ye are husbandmen, devulge 
 it not, least your beasts get wrang ; and said to 
 Alexander Drysdale, you go to sea, you have need 
 to take head ; and she said, the other lived be-east 
 James Paton's house, but he going away, heard not 
 her name. And this is the truth, as he shall an- 
 swer. Causa scientia. 
 
 Sic subscribitur, G. M. 
 
 Agnes Currie assented to this in session ; and 
 that Robert Currie told her, that Elspeth William- 
 son told him these things ; and that Mary Carmi- 
 chael in Linlithgow, is a witch. 
 
 Robert Currie called, compeared, and declared 
 that Elspeth Williamson delated to him Bessie 
 Callander, Mary Wilson, and Mary Carmichael, 
 as witches, which the said Elspeth referred to the 
 probation of the witch. 
 
 The foresaid day, Lillias Adie said to the mini- 
 ster, that the devil was angry that she went to 
 church, and said, that she might do as well at home. 
 Being interrogate if he was angry like, she said, 
 that he never looked pleasant like. And closed 
 with prayer, 
 
 August Z9t7i, 1704. 
 
 Lillias Adie declared, some hours before her 
 death, in audience of the minister, precentor, George 
 P ringle, and John Paterson, that what she had 
 said of Elspeth Williamson and Agnes Curriej
 
 OF TORRYBURN. 145 
 
 was as true as the Gospel ; and added, it is as true 
 as the sun shines on that floor, and dim as my eyes 
 are, I see that. 
 
 It being reported that William Wilson knew 
 something of Agnes Currie that was witchcraft, as 
 also Janet Glass, they were called, and the said 
 William declared, that about 24 years ago, Helen 
 Johnston having overlaid her child the night after 
 it was baptized, and the next day he was lamenting 
 the woman's case, Agnes Currie said to him, if I 
 had been her cummer, I could have advised her to 
 take heed to her child ; and also, that the said Wil- 
 liam was desired some time ago to bring some slyk * 
 to a house that belonged to Agnes, and he answer- 
 ed,. that his mare was in the yoke all day and could 
 not ; Agnes said she could not help it, and that 
 same day his mare died in a stank. 
 
 Janet Glass declared, that she came once into 
 Agnes Currie's house, having something to do with 
 Agnes, who in the time was baking bread, and 
 broke three several bannocks, lying in three several 
 places, and gave it to the said Janet, and she with 
 eating the same fell in a fever. 
 
 ! 
 
 Torryburn, 3d of September, 1704. After Prayer., 
 Sederunt, Minister and Elders, except Robert 
 Baxter, John Weir and John Wardlaw. 
 
 Agnes Currie being called, compeared, and con- 
 
 * Thin clay or mud.
 
 144 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION 
 
 fronted with Janet Glass ; Janet declared, that 
 about twelve years ago, she brought her cloth to 
 her house, and Agnes was baking bread, and she 
 broke three several bannocks that were in three se- 
 veral places, and gave her a piece of every bannock, 
 and immediately she took the fever ; and she adds, 
 that she gave her a little piece of every bannock, 
 and it was all one sort of bread. Janet declares 
 that she is ready to swear it ; also adds, Helen 
 Lawson was so used. 
 
 Helen Lawson being called, declared, that a long 
 time ago, Agnes Currie broke three several ban- 
 nocks, and gave her a piece of every one, but she 
 would not take the third piece ; and adds, that she 
 is ready to swear it. 
 
 Elspeth Williamson being brought in, and in- 
 terrogate if she was a witch, she answered, that she 
 would not deny that. 
 
 N. B. Lillias Adie was buried within the sea- 
 mark at Torryburn. * 
 
 William Cose being called, compeared, and 
 owned, that on Sabbath morning, anno 1704, it 
 being moon-light, he saw Bessie Micklejohn, or the 
 devil in her stead, in James Chalmers's bark, then 
 lying in Leith, and he doubts not but she saw 
 him ; and adds, that she had a green plaid about 
 her head, as he offered to depone. The session 
 considering that the devil appeared in her likeness, 
 it was no proof against her, they judged it not ne- 
 
 * Her grave is still to be seen at the west end of the town, 
 marked with a large stone. ED.
 
 OF TORRYBUIIN. 145 
 
 cessary to regard that matter, and thought William 
 Cose should not be troubled, it appearing he had 
 not spoken it from malice, nor accused her of witch- 
 craft formerly. 
 
 March 30th, 1709. 
 
 Margaret Humble called, declared, that Helen 
 Key said, that when she heard Mr Logan * speak 
 against the witches, she thought that he was daft, 
 and she had up her stool to go out of the kirk : 
 Also declared, that Helen Key threatened to strike 
 Mary Neilson. 
 
 Jean Pearson declared, that she heard Helen 
 Key say, that she would strike Mary Neilson. The 
 said Helen Key confessed what all the witnesses 
 declared. 
 
 As to the affair of Helen Key, Mary Neilson 
 called, declared, that she heard Helen Key say, 
 that she thought Mr Logan was not wise when he 
 was speaking against the witches ; and she had one 
 unseemly expression that is not decent to be put 
 on the records ; and when Margaret Humble re- 
 buked her, she answered, it was not Margaret 
 Humble's part to speak in Mr Logan's favours, 
 
 * The Reverend Allan Logan, the minister, is still famous 
 all over the country for his skill in discovering witches ; and 
 used, when administering the Sacrament, to say, You witch 
 wife get up from the table of the Lord,' when some unhappy 
 old woman would have risen, imagining she was pointed at, and 
 it was well if it did not afterwards cost her her life. Daft or 
 not, he was certainly a most wretched fanatic of the worst 
 description. ED.
 
 146 MINUTES OF THE KIRK-SESSION, &C. 
 
 but she would not express what Mr Logan said of 
 Margaret Humble to her. 
 
 The session having found her convicted of pro- 
 phane irreverent language against the minister and 
 his doctrine, without any shadow of provocation, 
 and of gross lying and prevaricating, both in pri- 
 vate and before the session, and of threatening to 
 strike a person because she had reported her im- 
 pudent, Godless, and scandalous language, there- 
 fore, they appoint her to sit before the congregation 
 the next Lord's day, and to be rebuked after the 
 afternoon's sermon. 
 
 THE END.
 
 AETTEPOSKOniA; 
 
 cm A 
 
 CONCERNING THE 
 
 a it ma 
 
 COMMONLY SO CALLED. 
 
 By the Reverend Mr JOHN FRAZER, Deceased, 
 late Minister of Teree and Coll, and Dean of 
 the Isles; 
 
 AND 
 
 Published by Mr ANDREW SYMSON, with a Short 
 Account of the Author. 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 Printed by Mr ANDREW SYMSON, Anno Domini 
 MDCCVII.
 
 TO THE 
 
 RIGHT HONOURABLE, 
 
 Universally Learned, and my very Singular Good 
 
 Lord GEORGE, Earl of Cromartie, Viscount 
 
 ofTarbat, Lord Macleod and Castlehaven, 
 
 SfC. Lord Justice General of the King- 
 
 dom of Scotland, and one of her 
 
 Majesty's most Honourable 
 
 Privy Council, 
 
 This following Discourse, entituled 
 &c. written by the Reverend Mr John Frazer, late 
 Minister of Teree and Coll, and Dean of the Isles, 
 is, with all due respect and reverence, dedicated by 
 the printer and publisher hereof, his 
 
 Lordship's most humble 
 
 And obedient servant in all duty, 
 
 ANDREW SYMSON.
 
 THE 
 
 PUBLISHER TO THE READER. 
 
 THE Reverend author of the ensuing Discourse 
 having married nay near kinswoman, and being in 
 this city in November 1700, in order to the settling 
 of some of his affairs. As we were discoursing of 
 several things relating to the Highlands and West- 
 ern Isles of Scotland, we came to speak of the Se- 
 cond Sight, reported to be so common in these 
 parts ; he told me, that as to the thing itself, it was 
 most certain and undeniable, and that he could 
 give many instances of it ; as also, that he had 
 written a short Discourse upon that subject. This 
 he promised to transmit to me ; accordingly, on his 
 return home, after a tedious and troublesome voy- 
 age, both by sea and land, he sent me that Dis- 
 course, written with his own hand, desiring me to 
 publish the same after some of his friends here had 
 perused it : which being done, I, at my own con- 
 veniency, put it to the press, but before it was 
 finished, I received an account that the author was 
 dead, whereupon I forbore the publishing of it, till 
 I should get an account of several passages concern- 
 ing himself and family, designing to prefix the same 
 to the Discourse itself, which I conceived would be
 
 TO THE READER. 151 
 
 acceptable to his friends, and not displeasing to the 
 reader. And therefore I dispatched a letter to one 
 of his nearest relations, and that was best acquaint- 
 ed with him, and with the passages of his life, that 
 so I might thereby be the better informed. In an- 
 swer whereunto, I received a paper containing se- 
 veral memoirs, from which I have collected the fol- 
 lowing account. 
 
 Mr John Frazer, the author of this Discourse, 
 was born in the Isle of Mull, in the year of our 
 Lord one thousand six hundred and forty-seven. 
 
 His father, Mr Ferchard Frazer, was born in the 
 north of Scotland, near Stratharig, about the year 
 1606, and lineally descended of the family of my 
 Lord Lovat, but mediately of the family of Tober, 
 one of the Lairds of the name of Frazer. 
 
 After he had taken his degrees at the University, 
 and applied himself to the study of Divinity, he 
 was called by the bishop of the isles (there being 
 then few learned men able to preach in the Irish 
 tongue) to be minister of the Isles of Teree and 
 Coll, (to which charge the deanry of the Isles was 
 annext.) He was the first master of arts that 
 preached constantly there as minister of the parish, 
 there being then there one Ewen M'Lean, who 
 was appointed to catechise and convene the people, 
 there being few or none, as said is, able to serve 
 the cure ; but being there, he was very diligent in 
 his ministerial function in teaching and instructing 
 them, leaving them far better than he found them ; 
 for at his first coming, there were but three heri- 
 table gentlemen of the name of M'Lean that could
 
 152 TO THE READER. 
 
 subscribe their own names, the time Mr Ferchard 
 Frazer served as minister of the Isles of Teree and 
 Coll, which were conjoined in one parish, may be 
 collected from his epitaph, written by his son, our 
 author, which is 
 
 Epitaphium Magistri Ferchardi Frazer Decani 
 Insular urn ; qui obiit 14 die Februarii Anno Do- 
 mini 1680. Aetatis 74. 
 
 Pervigil et blandus ; mitis, gravis atq. benignus ; 
 
 Doctus et Eloquii deterritate fluens : 
 
 Pavicoves Christi pandens mysteria verbi ; 
 
 Exemplum vitae praebuit ipse gregi. 
 
 Luxfuerat populi lustris bis quinq. peractis, 
 
 Sacradocens, sancto munere functus obit. 
 
 Hie requiem tumulo corpus capit, inde regressus 
 
 Spiritus ad Dominum, qui dedit ante, volat. 
 
 Mr Johannes Frazerus, decanus insularum. 
 
 His mother's name was Janet M'Lean, daughter 
 to Lauchlan M'Lean of Coll, an ancient family of 
 that name and clan. His father, as he was careful 
 to instruct others, so he did not neglect his son, 
 our author, but having fitted him for the Univer- 
 sity, he sent him to the College of Glasgow, and 
 committed him to the care of Mr William Blair, 
 one of the regents there, who advanced him to the 
 degree of master of arts, between the twenty-fourth 
 and twenty-fifth year of his age. From thence he 
 went to the Isle of Mull, and was chaplain to Sir 
 Allan M'Lean of Duart. Thereafter, viz. March 
 4th 1677, he was married to Mary Symson, the 
 only surviving daughter of Mr Matthias Symson, 
 some time minister of Stirling, who died .November
 
 TO THE HEADER. 153 
 
 1664. Two or three years before his father's death, 
 (being canonically ordained presbyter,) he was ad- 
 mitted to his father's charge, in regard his father, 
 partly by age, and partly by sickness, was render- 
 ed very unfit to serve the cure of these two islands, 
 Teree and Coll, as also of Icolmkiln, which was 
 also annext to it, and at a greater distance ; how- 
 ever, such was his care and diligence in the work 
 of the ministry, that, by the blessing of God upon 
 his endeavours, he converted to the true Protestant 
 faith 24 families in the Isle of Coll, (the laird him- 
 self being then ring-leader), that were deluded by 
 Father ODonald and others, his father not being 
 able to oversee his flock, by reason of his foresaid 
 condition. 
 
 His father dying in the year 1680, he served 
 the cure thereafter, by constant and diligent preach- 
 ing, baptizing, marrying, visiting the sick, and ex- 
 ercising all other duties incumbent on him ; but at 
 length, because his principles would not allow all 
 the demands of the Synod of Argyle, his charge 
 vf&s declared vacant, and his stipend taken from 
 him ; notwithstanding whereof, there being no mi- 
 nister sent to oversee these islands, he went about 
 the exercise of his ministry as formerly, being sup- 
 plied by the charity and benevolence of his parish- 
 ioners, who had an entire kindness for him ; but 
 his stipend, as said is, was taken from him and be- 
 stowed some other way. And thus he continued 
 till about a month before his death, which was on 
 the 25th day of August 1702, in which he chang- 
 ed this troublesome life for a better, leaving be-
 
 154 TO THE READER. 
 
 hind him a desolate poor widow, with several child- 
 ren, both sons and daughters, as also a sorrowful 
 people, who were now wholly deprived of a spirit- 
 ual pastor, and of such a one as was every way qua- 
 lified for that charge ; for he was not only a good 
 and learned man, but was master of their language, 
 being born and bred up in the Isles, understood 
 their humours, conditions, and manners of life, and 
 being a wise and sagacious person, complaisant, and 
 of a winning deportment ; all which good qualifica- 
 tions he was endowed with, as all which were ac- 
 quainted with him, can sufficiently testify. 
 
 As for the subject of the following Discourse, 
 (commonly called the Second Sight) though I think 
 it might be more fitly called the First Sight, (be- 
 cause it for the most part sees things before they 
 are), I shall not undertake to defend all the notions 
 that he has of it, and whether they will agree with 
 true philosophy, but shall refer that to others of a 
 higher reach and deeper understanding than I ever 
 durst pretend to ; but this I will say in his defence, 
 that, considering the place where it was written, 
 even among the remote Isles, vervecum in patria, 
 where he wanted the converse of learned men, and 
 the benefit of books, two necessary qualifications 
 for one that writes on such an abstruse subject ; I 
 h umbly conceive, that the great clerks of this age, 
 who have the benefit of books and converse, should 
 not superciliously undervalue him that wants them. 
 However, although I shall not pretend to maintain 
 all that he writes, as to the causes, &c. of this Se- 
 cond Sight, nor do I believe all the stories that I
 
 TO THE READER. 155 
 
 have heard concerning it, yet the thing itself, or 
 that there is such a thing as is commonly called the 
 Second Sight, I do firmly believe, being induced 
 thereto by the relations that I have received from 
 persons of known integrity, and such as I suppose 
 are wiser than to be imposed upon, and honester 
 than to impose fables instead of truths, upon others. 
 Among the relations that I have been told concern- 
 ing this subject, I shall only single out one or two, 
 and then I shall conclude. 
 
 A noble peer of this nation being one morning in 
 his bed-chamber, and attended by several persons, 
 when his servant had put a new coat upon his Lord, 
 a gentleman standing by, presently cry'd out, for 
 God's sake, my Lord, put off that coat ; and being 
 asked the reason, he replied, that he saw a whinger 
 or poinard, stick in the breast of it. The noble 
 peer esteeming this as a mere fancy, replied, ( this 
 coat is honestly come by, and I see no reason why 
 I may not wear it.' The gentleman still entreated, 
 and earnestly craved, that it might be put off' : up- 
 on which debate, the noble peer's lady being not far 
 off, came in, and being informed of the whole affair, 
 intreated her Lord to comply with the gentleman's 
 desire, which he did ; mean time one of the servants 
 standing by, desired the lady to give it him, and he 
 would wear it. She granted his request, who put 
 it on, and ere night he was stabbed by a poinard, 
 in that very place which the gentleman had point- 
 ed to in the morning. This relation I had from a 
 very ingenuous and understanding gentleman, who 
 was grand-child to the said noble peer.
 
 156 TO THE HEADER. 
 
 I shall add another strange story, which I had 
 from a reverend minister of the gospel, and my in- 
 timate acquaintance. "Pis thus In the year 1665, 
 Alexander Wood, eldest son to the Laird of Ne- 
 ther Benholm, in Angus, having ended his prenti- 
 ship with a merchant in Edinburgh, told Mr James 
 Walker, that (in the year 1662 or 1663), he had 
 been employed by his master to go to the Lewis to 
 make up herring ; and being there, and having a 
 good tack of herring, their salt and casks were all 
 made use of, and then they being idle, he began to 
 fret that his master had delayed so long to supply 
 them ; and being one day drinking in a country 
 house, and complaining, he went to the door of the 
 house, and there followed him a country man, who 
 said to him. If you will give me a small hire, I'll 
 tell you what is become of the ship you are looking 
 for ; and without more ado, he set his foot upon 
 the gentleman's foot, in which time he saw the ship 
 in a great storm, ready to perish, and the seamen 
 casting out their lading to lighten the ship ; but 
 when the country man's foot was off his he saw no- 
 thing. The ship at that time was about 100 miles 
 from them, and about 48 hours thereafter, she 
 came into the same harbour, and had been in the 
 same condition he saw her in at that time the coun- 
 try man's foot was on his foot. It would be tedious 
 to add any more stories that I have had from per- 
 sons of undoubted veracity ; and therefore, Reader, 
 I shall only subscribe myself 
 
 Your humble servant in all duty, 
 
 ANDREW SYMSOX.
 
 TO THE 
 
 READER. 
 
 COURTEOUS READER, 
 
 You may be surprised to meet with such an 
 abstruse theme (handled in specie by few or none), 
 from the pen of a person in my circumstances, ly- 
 ing at a great distance from the Universities and 
 centre of the kingdom, and consequently may be 
 justly supposed to want that ordinary help of books 
 and conference with the learned, that others may 
 enjoy. 
 
 In thejirst place, believe that I am so far from 
 affecting vain singularity, (a hateful vice in the 
 schools as well as the pulpit), that nothing of that 
 kind moved me to treat of the subject of the follow- 
 ing Discourses. But for my own satisfaction I drew 
 up the following heads, and did not resolve at the 
 first to expose them to public view, (justly fearing 
 the censure of presumption) ; but I was, by the 
 persuasion of some serious friends, prevailed with 
 to commit myself to the favourable judgment of the
 
 158 ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER. 
 
 learned, (who might sooner commend my endea- 
 vours than censure my failings), rather than sup- 
 press such a fine subject, which probably might be 
 more fully and largely treated of by others after 
 the perusal of this Discourse. Take this pamphlet 
 then in the rude dress that I could give ; at least 
 it may excite thy thoughts, if not to approve of 
 what is here deduced, yet to propone of thine own 
 a more satisfying method of explaining this remark- 
 able phenomenon, which is the genuine design and 
 wish of, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 Your humble servant, 
 
 The AUTHOR.
 
 AETTEP02KOIIIA; 
 
 OR, 
 
 A BRIEF DISCOURSE 
 
 CONCERNING THE 
 
 SECOND SIGHT, 
 
 Commonly so Called. 
 
 MANY have undertaken to treat of the nature 
 and operation of Spirits; as also of the various 
 manners of divination among the Gentiles, (and but 
 too much used among Christians,) likewise of the 
 perturbation and deception of the fancy, caused by 
 melancholy ; and very many speak in ordinary dis- 
 courses of this called the Second Sight, and the 
 consequences of it, but none that I know handle it 
 in titulo. 
 
 That such representations are made to the eyes 
 / > of men and women, is to me out of all doubt, and 
 that effects follow answerable thereto, as little ques- 
 tionable. But I have found so many doubt the 
 matter of fact ; which I take to be the reason that
 
 160 
 
 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 so little has been written of it, that I think it ne- 
 cessary to say something briefly, that may put the 
 existency of it beyond all scruple. If I should in- 
 sert all the clear instances that I have had of this 
 matter, it would be tedious and unnecessary, there- 
 fore I will content myself, and I hope will satisfy 
 the reader, with four or five instances, as follows. 
 
 The first instance is by a servant of my own, who 
 had the trust of my barn, and nightly lay in the 
 same. One day he told me he would not any longer 
 lie there, because nightly he had seen a dead corps 
 in his winding sheets straighted beside him, parti- 
 cularly at the south side of the barn. About an 
 half year thereafter, a young man that had former- 
 ly been my servant, fell dangerously sick, and ex- 
 pecting death, would needs be carried near my 
 house ; and shortly thereafter he died, and was laid 
 up a night before he was buried in the same indi- 
 vidual barn and place that was foretold ; and im- 
 mediately the servant that foretold this came to me 
 and minded me of the prediction, which was clear- 
 ly out of my mind till he spoke of it. 
 
 The second instance is after this manner. I was 
 resolved to pay a visit to an English gentleman, 
 Sir William Sacheverill, who had a commission 
 from the English Court of Admiralty, to give his 
 best trial to find out gold or money, or any other 
 thing of note, in one of the ships of the Spanish 
 armada, that was blown up in the bay of Topper- 
 Mory, in the Sound of Mull. And having conde- 
 scended upon the number of men that were to go 
 with me, one of the number was a handsome boy
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 161 
 
 that waited upon my own person ; and, about an 
 hour before I made sail, a woman, that was also 
 one of my own servants, spoke to one of the sea- 
 men, and bade him dissuade me to take that boy 
 along with me, or if I did, I should not bring him 
 back alive ; the seaman answered, he had not con- 
 fidence to tell me such unwarrantable trifles. I 
 took my voyage, and sailed the length of Topper- 
 Mory ; and having stayed two or three nights with 
 that liberal and ingenuous gentleman, who himself 
 had collected many observations of the Second Sight 
 in the Isle of Man, and compared his notes and 
 mine together, I then took leave of him. In the 
 mean time, my boy grew sick of a vehement bloody 
 flux, the winds turn'd cross, that I could neither 
 sail nor row, the boy died with me the eleventh 
 night from his decumbiture, the next morning the 
 wind made fair, and the seaman to whom the mat- 
 ter was foretold, related the whole story when he 
 saw it verified. I carried the boy's corps aboard 
 with me, and after my arrival, and his burial, I 
 called suddenly for the woman, and asked at her 
 what warrant she had to foretell the boy's death ; 
 she said, that she, had no other warrant but that 
 she saw, two days before I took my voyage, the 
 boy walking with me in the fields, sewed up in his 
 winding sheets from top to toe, and that she had 
 never seen this in others, but she found that they 
 shortly thereafter died ; and therefore concluded 
 that he would die too, and that shortly. 
 
 The third instance was thus. Duncan Campbell, 
 brother-german to Archibald Campbell of Invera,
 
 162 
 
 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 a gentleman of singular piety and considerable 
 knowledge, especially in Divinity, told me a strange 
 thing of himself. That he was at a time in Kin- 
 tyre, having then some employment there, and one 
 morning walking in the fields, he saw a dozen of 
 men carrying a bier, and knew them all but one, 
 and when he looked again, all was vanished. The 
 very next day, the same company came the same 
 way, carrying a bier, and he going to meet them, 
 found that they were but eleven in number, and 
 that himself was the twelfth, though he did not no- 
 tice it before ; and it is to be observed, that this 
 gentleman never saw any thing of this kind before 
 or after, till his dying day. Moreover, that he was 
 of such solid judgment and devote conversation, 
 that his report deserves an unquestionable credit. 
 
 The fourth instance I had, to my great grief, 
 from one John M'Donald, a servant of Lauchlan 
 M'Lean of Coll, who was then newly returned 
 from Holland, having the charge of a captain. 
 This gentleman came one afternoon abroad to his 
 past-time in the fields, and this John M'Donald 
 meets him, and saw his clothes shining like the 
 skins of fishes, and his periwig all wet, though in- 
 deed the day was very fair ; whereupon he told 
 privately, even then, to one of Coirs gentlemen, 
 that he feared he should be drowned. This gen- 
 tleman was Charles M'Lean, who gave me account 
 of it. The event followed about a year thereafter, 
 for the Laird of Coll was drowned in the water of 
 Lochy in Lochaber. I examined both Charles 
 M'Lean and John M'Donald, and found, that the
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 163 
 
 prediction was as he told me ; and the said M 4 Do- 
 nald could produce no other warrant, than that he 
 found such signs frequently before to forgo the like 
 events. This man indeed was known to have many 
 visions of this kind, but he was none of the strictest 
 life. 
 
 The fifth instance is strange, and yet of certain 
 truth, and known to the whole inhabitants of the 
 Island of Eigg, lying in the latitude of 56 degrees 
 20 minutes ; and longitude 14 degrees. There was 
 a tenant in this island, a native, that was a follower of 
 the Captain of Clanrannold, that lived in a town 
 called Kildonan, the year of God eighty-five, who 
 told publicly to the whole inhabitants, upon the 
 Lord's day, after divine service, performed by 
 Father O'Rain^then priest of that place, that they 
 should all flit out of that Isle, and plant themselves 
 some where else ; because that people of strange 
 and different habits, and arms, were to come to the 
 Isle, and to use all acts of hostility, as killing, 
 burning, tirling, and deforcing of women ; finally, 
 to discharge all that the hands of an enemy could 
 do ; but what they were, or whence they came, he 
 could not tell. At the first there was no regard 
 had to his words ; but frequently thereafter, he 
 begged of them to notice what he said, otherwise 
 they should repent it, when they could not help it ; 
 which took such an impression upon some of his 
 near acquaintance, as I hat severals of them trans- 
 ported themselves and their families, even then ; 
 some to the Isle of Cannay, some to the Isle of 
 Rum. Fourteen days before the enemy came
 
 164 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 thither, under the command of one Major Fergu- 
 son and Captain Pottinger, whilst there was no 
 word of their coming, or any fear of them conceiv- 
 ed. In the month of June 1689, this man fell 
 sick, and Father O'Rain came to see him, in order 
 to give him the benefit of absolution and extreme 
 unction, attended with several inhabitants of the 
 Isle, who, in the first place, narrowly questioned 
 him before his friends, and begged of him to re- 
 cant his former folly and his vain prediction ; to 
 whom he answered, that they should find very 
 shortly the truth of what he had spoken, and so he 
 died. And within 14 or 15 days thereafter, I was 
 eye witness (being then prisoner with Captain Pot- 
 tinger), to the truth of what he did foretel ; and 
 being before-hand well instructed, of all that he 
 said, I did admire to see it particularly verified, 
 especially that of the different habits and arms, some 
 being clad with red coats, some with white coats 
 and grenadier caps, some armed with sword and 
 pike, and some with sword and musket. Though 
 I could give many more proofs, as unquestionable 
 as these, yet I think what is said, is sufficient to 
 prove the being of such a thing as the same in 
 hand ; and I cannot but wonder, that men of know- 
 ledge and experience should be so shy to believe 
 that there may be visions of this kind administered 
 by good or bad angels ; there being nothing more 
 certain, than that good angels suggested visions to 
 the prophets of the Lord, before the coming of 
 Christ in the flesh, and particularly to the apostle 
 St John, after the ascension of our Lord ; likewise
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 163 
 
 that evil angels presented visions, as well as audible 
 voices, to the 450 false prophets of Ahab ; the 400 
 prophets of the Groves, is as little to be doubted ; 
 it being as easy, if not easier, to work upon the 
 sight, as well as upon the hearing. We know but 
 too well, that necromancers and magicians them- 
 selves, have not only seen the shapes and forms of 
 things, but likewise have allowed others to see the 
 same, who had no skill of their art. A precedent 
 for which, is the Witch of Endor. 
 
 I remember, about 23 years ago, there was an 
 old woman in my parish, in the Isle of Teree, 
 whom I heard was accustomed to give responses, 
 and likewise averred, that she had died and been 
 in heaven, but allowed to come back again. And 
 because she could not come to church, I was at the 
 pains to give her a visit, attended with two or three 
 of the most intelligent of my parish. I questioned 
 her first whether she said she was in heaven ; and 
 she freely confessed she was, and that she had seen 
 Jesus Christ, but not God the Father, or the Holy 
 Ghost ; that she was kindly entertained with meat 
 and drink, and that she had seen her daughter 
 there, who died about a year before ; that her 
 daughter told her, though she was allowed to go 
 there, that she behooved to come back and serve 
 out her prentiship on earth, but would shortly be 
 called for, and remain there for ever. She could 
 very hardly be put out of this opinion, till I en- 
 quired more narrowly of her children, if she fell at 
 any time in a syncope ; which they told me she did, 
 and continued for a whole night, so that they
 
 166 
 
 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 thought that she was truly dead ; and this is the 
 time she alleged she was in heaven. The devil 
 took an advantage in the ecstasy to present to her 
 fancy a map of heaven, as if it had been a rich 
 earthly kingdom, abounding with meat, drink, 
 gold, and silver. By the blessing of God, I pre- 
 vailed with her to be persuaded that this was but 
 a vision presented to her fancy by the devil, the 
 father of lies ; and that she might deprehend the 
 falsehood of it from this one head, that she ima- 
 gined her body was there, as well as her soul, and 
 that she did eat and drink, and was warmed, while, 
 as her own children, and the neighbours that watch- 
 ed her, did see, and did handle her body several 
 times that night, so that it could not be with her 
 in heaven. I did further examine her what war- 
 rant she had for the responses she gave, which were 
 found very often true, even in future contingent 
 events. She freely confessed, that her father upon 
 his death-bed, taught her a charm, compiled of bar- 
 barous words, and some unintelligible terms, which 
 had the virtue, when repeated, to present, some few 
 hours after the proposition of a question, the an- 
 swer of the same in live images before her eyes, 
 or upon the wall ; but the images were not tract- 
 able, which she found by putting too her hand, but 
 could find nothing. I do not think fit to insert the 
 charm, knowing that severals might be inclined to 
 make an unwarrantable trial of it. This poor wo- 
 man was got reclaimed, and was taught fully the 
 danger and vanity of her practice, and died peace- 
 ably about a year after, in extreme old age.
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 167 
 
 I know assuredly, that Janet Douglas, that was 
 first a dumbie, yet spoke thereafter, who had given 
 many responses by signs and words, and foretold 
 many future events, being examined by Mr Gray, 
 one of the ministers of the city of Glasgow, denied 
 any explicitor implicit paction, and declared freely, 
 that the answers of the questions proponed to her 
 were represented by a vision in lively images, re- 
 presenting the persons concerned, and acting the 
 thing, before her eyes. This Mr Gray exchanged 
 several discourses in write with Sir James Turner, 
 concerning her. 
 
 By this time, you may see that this theme de- 
 serves the consideration of the learned : First, to 
 enquire how much of this may come from a natural 
 constitution and temperament, when confounded 
 with a flatuous or melancholic distemper ; and what 
 influence an external agent, namely, an angel, good 
 or bad, may have upon the organ of the eye and 
 the fancy, and how far the medium between the 
 organ of the eye and an object visible, may be dis- 
 posed for their purpose, namely, the air and light ; 
 and what connexion may be found betwixt the re- 
 presentations made to the eye or fancy, and the 
 future contingent events that experience teaches 
 do follow thereupon : as for example, a man is seen 
 bleeding, or sewed up in his winding sheets, who 
 is shortly to be wounded, or assuredly to die. 
 
 As for the first, all the learned physicians of the 
 world know too well by experience what great la- 
 bour they have to cure the deceptions of the fancy, 
 especially in hypochondriac diseases ; nay, patients
 
 168 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 cannot be persuaded but they see men, women, 
 fowls, and four-footed beasts, walking abroad or 
 in their chambers. Seldom it is, that a man passes 
 any great and turbulent fever, without the trouble 
 of some such representations. It is memorable, 
 that a gentleman, that had been a great proficient 
 in physic himself, imagined at length that there was 
 a quick frog in his belly ; and after he had travel- 
 led over a good part of Italy, and consulted with 
 the doctors of Padua, yet could not be cured, or 
 dissuaded. He came at length to the learned phy- 
 sician Platerus, in Bazil, who told him, that a frog 
 by certain experience is known not to live above 
 three years, so that his distemper continuing longer 
 than three years, could not be caused by the frog, 
 that could not live so long. Moreover, that his 
 stomach would strangle the frog, and that the frog 
 could not live any considerable time out of its own 
 element, the water ; so that the properest and most 
 specific medicines being made use of, it were a 
 shame for him to be so obstinate. At last he was 
 persuaded, and his fancy satisfied. This story is 
 no less renowned of what befell Andreas Osiander, 
 a man learned in most languages. When he was 
 a young man, and being troubled with a quartan 
 ague, a little before the fit he could not be per- 
 suaded that he was in the house at all, but that he 
 was in a wood, and much molested with wild beasts 
 and serpents of all kinds ; neither could he be pre- 
 vailed with that this was false, till Facius Cardanus 
 was called for to him, who cured him for the time, 
 so that he knew his friends that were sitting beside
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 169 
 
 him, and the chamber to be his own chamber ; but 
 after Facius had left him, he was troubled with the 
 same opinion and distemper, even till the ague had 
 quiet him. I have myself seen a neighbour of my 
 own, and my parishioner too, John M'Phale, that 
 lived to the age of fourscore years, a man that was 
 truly very sagacious by nature ; and though his 
 sight was much decayed, the seat of his judgment 
 was nothing touched ; and as he grew weaker, 
 merely by old age, without any remarkable distem- 
 per, I made frequent visits to him. One day as I 
 was coming away from him, lie told me he had 
 something of consequence to ask at me, and desir- 
 ed all to remove except his wife and another gen- 
 tleman, that was a friend of his. This done, Sir, 
 says he, I desire to know by what warrant or com- 
 mission so many of my friends, that are dead long 
 ago, are allowed to come and discourse with me, 
 and drink before me, and yet are not so civil as give 
 me a tasting of it ? I told him, that it was only the 
 trouble of his fancy, and his frequent thinking of 
 the world to come and his friends that were gone 
 before him ; and he replied to me very smartly. 
 Sir, says he, I perceive it is the work of the fancy, 
 for since I cannot see yourself, (for only by your 
 voice I know you) how could I see them ? It was 
 strange that he saw them the very mean time that 
 others were in the house with him, and asked seve- 
 ral questions at them, but got no answer. And, 
 for all this, the seat of his wit was as entire as ever : 
 moreover, this trouble left him a little before he 
 died.
 
 170 A DISCOURSE 01-' 
 
 Many such illusions are reported of eremites, 
 caused merely by the confusion of the brains, bred 
 by their fasting and unwholesome food, which I 
 shall not trouble the reader with. 
 
 If you will ask how cometh this to pass, take 
 notice of the following method, which I humbly 
 offer to your consideration. Advert, in the first 
 place, that visible ideas, or species, are emitted from 
 every visible object to the organ of the eye ; repre- 
 senting the figure and colour of the object, and 
 bearing along with it the proportion of the distance, 
 for sure the objects enter not the eye, nor the in- 
 terjacent distant tract of ground ; and a third thing 
 different from the eye and the object, and the dis- 
 tant ground, must inform the eye. These species 
 are conveyed to the brain by the optic nerve, and 
 are laid up in the magazine of the memory, other- 
 wise we should not remember the object any longer 
 than it is in our presence ; and a remembering of 
 these objects is nothing else but the fancies review- 
 ing, or more properly the soul of man, by the fancy 
 reviewing of these intentional species formerly re- 
 ceived from the visible object unto the organ of the 
 eye, and reconducted unto the seat of the memory. 
 Now, when the brain is in a serene temper, these 
 species are in their integrity, and keep their rank 
 and file as they were received ; but when the brain 
 is filled with gross and flatuous vapours, and the 
 spirits and humour enraged, these ideas are some- 
 times multiplied as an army, by mist ; sometimes 
 magnified, sometimes misplaced, sometimes con- 
 founded by other species of different objects, per-
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 171 
 
 haps by half and half, so that the fancy has two for 
 one, one bigger than two of itself, and sometimes 
 the half of one and the half of another, represented 
 in one ; and this deception is not only incident to 
 the fancy, but even to the external senses, particu- 
 larly the seeing and hearing ; for the visus, or see- 
 ing, is nothing else but the transition of the inten- 
 tional species through the crystalline humour to the 
 retiform coat of the eye, and judged by the com- 
 mon sense, and conveyed by the optic nerve to the 
 fancy. 
 
 Of this we have a clear demonstration from the 
 representation of external objects through a cry- 
 stal in glass, upon any lucid, smooth, and solid re- 
 flectant, placed before the glass in a dark chamber, 
 which is one of the noblest experiments in the whole 
 optics. 
 
 Now, if these species formerly received and laid 
 up in the brain, will be reversed back from the same 
 to the retiform coat and crystalline humour as for- 
 merly, these is in effect a lively seeing and percep- 
 tion of the object represented by these species, as 
 if, de novo, the object had been placed before the 
 eye ; for the organ of the eye had no more of it 
 before, than now it has ; just so with the hearing, 
 it is nothing else but the receiving of the audible 
 species to that part of the ear that is accommodated 
 for hearing, so that Avhen the species are retracted 
 from the brain to their proper organs, for example, 
 the ear and the eye, hearing and seeing are per- 
 fected, as if the objects had been present to influ- 
 ence the organs de novo. And it is not to be thought
 
 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 that this is a singular opinion, for Cardanus, an 
 eminent author of great and universal learning and 
 experience, maintains this reversion of the species, 
 and attributes his own vision of trees, wild beasts, 
 men, cities, and instructed battles, musical and mar- 
 tial instruments, from the fourth to the seventh 
 year of his age, to the species of the objects he had 
 seen formerly, now retracted to the organ of the 
 eye, and cites Averroes, an author of greater re- 
 nown for the same opinion. See Cardanus de sub- 
 tilitate rerum paglna trecentesima prima. 
 
 And it seems truly to be founded upon relevant 
 grounds. I have observed a sick person, that com- 
 plained of great pain and molestation in his head, 
 and particularly of piping and sweating in his ears, 
 which seems to have been caused by the species of 
 piping and singing which he had formerly heard, 
 but were now, through the plethory of his head, 
 forced out of the brain to the organ of the ear, 
 through the same nerves by which they were re- 
 ceived formerly ; and why may not the same be- 
 fall the visible species as well as the audible ? which 
 seems to be confirmed by the optic experiment. 
 Take a sheet of painted paper and fix it in your 
 window, looking steadfastly to it for a considerable 
 time, for example, some few minutes, then close 
 your eyes very strait, and place a sheet of clean 
 paper before your eyes, and open your eyes sud- 
 denly, you will see the painting almost as lively as 
 they were in the painted sheet with the lively co- 
 lours. This compression of the eyes by consent, 
 causes a compression of the whole brain, which
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 173 
 
 forces back the visible species of the painted sheet 
 to the organ of the eye, through the optic nerve, 
 which will presently vanish, if the reflectant did not 
 help to preserve them. You may see then how 
 much of these representations may be within our- 
 selves, abstracting from any external agent or ob- 
 ject without the eye, to influence the same. 
 
 The second thing that comes under consideration 
 is, the influence and operation of external agents, 
 namely, an angel, good or bad. It is not to be 
 denied, but good angels may help and dispose all 
 our faculties, excite, elevate, and set them upon 
 edge and action ; likewise, that evil angels may 
 perturb, confound, and hurt, our external and in- 
 ternal senses, (when permitted) particularly by stir- 
 ring the spirits, humours, and vapours, which of 
 themselves, when so stirred, help to make many 
 shapes and representations, either regular or irre- 
 gular, (as has been formerly observed) and withal, 
 they can colorate external objects far beyond any 
 painter, insensibly to the beholder, repente appll- 
 cando activa passives ; and that they can alter the 
 medium interposed between our senses and the ob- 
 jects, by making it grosser or thinner, opaque or 
 lucid, is a thing not to be questioned. For a clear 
 proof of this I hope any rational man will allow me. 
 
 That even the evil angels, who were created in 
 a degree above us, must have a more penetrating 
 wit than ours is, and having experienced from their 
 creation, to this very day, and can be present to 
 every experiment found out, or that is committed 
 to writing by the art of man ; and withal, being
 
 174? A DISCOURSE OP 
 
 not subject to oblivion as man is, (for they have no 
 material faculty to be obliterated), I say any ra- 
 tional man will allow me, that they can do as much, 
 and beyond what the art of man is able to do ; but 
 so it is, that painters can make one object more 
 pleasant than another, distorted and worse favour- 
 ed than another, that any smoke may engross the 
 air, that a cloud removed on or off the face of the 
 sun, give way to the beams of it to illuminate the 
 air, or to eclipse its light, that vapours and exha- 
 lations, from sea and laud, multiply and magnify 
 objects, mishapes and distorts them, and makes 
 them of diverse figures, all in an instant, which is 
 observable in hot summer days, especially in the 
 end of the canicular days, for you may readily see 
 about three or four in the afternoon, the same hills 
 (providing they are situated at a considerable dis- 
 tance from you) to be of diverse shapes, forms, and 
 figures, changing very suddenly from one shape to 
 another, for example, from a globe to a pyramid, 
 from a pyramid to a quadrangular figure, &c. 
 All which our ordinary multiplying, magnifying, 
 and distorting glasses, produce. Moreover, that 
 physicians can administer such medicines as may 
 provoke a man to madness and rage, yea, to fantas- 
 tic or hypochondriac fits ; so also medicines that 
 move pleasant and unpleasant dreams, by exciting 
 the melancholic or sanguine humours, raging or 
 peaceable dreams, by moving the choleric or phleg- 
 matic humour. 
 
 How much more can the prince of the air do, 
 and his retinue, who is better seen in the nature 

 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 175 
 
 of the elements and their compounds ; who is better 
 seen in the nature of trees, plants, minerals, stones, 
 the secret qualities of springs and fountains, rivers 
 and lochs, and the influence of celestial bodies, &c. 
 and who is better seen in the constitution of every 
 man, his customs and inclinations, and his present 
 state and bygone circumstances ; I say, in all these, 
 he is better seen than any man, and can accommo- 
 date them to his purpose beyond the greatest vir- 
 tuoses. 
 
 Let us therefore consider, that an evil angel be- 
 ing permitted thereunto, can muster in our brain 
 the latent intentional species of external absent ob- 
 jects, and can present the same to the fancy in the 
 methods best fitting his purpose, and not only so in 
 time of our sleep, (for then indeed the fancy sticks 
 witli more tenacity to what it apprehends), but also 
 when we are not sleeping, he can deduce these 
 species by forcing them out of the rooms or cells 
 of the brain, to the organ of the eye and ear, and 
 so of necessity a man either sitting or going in the 
 high-way, will hear and see such things as these 
 species do represent ; and seeing that naturally it 
 may be done, as would appear from what is above 
 spoken from the strength and force of medicines to 
 operate upon the spirits and humours of man to 
 work strange things, why may not a good or bad 
 angel excite nature to it ? or by an immediate im- 
 pulse force these material qualities to the organs of 
 the external senses, as well as they can move their 
 vehicles, which are the spirits and humours. 
 
 The third thing proposed was, the connexion of 
 
 .. ,
 
 176 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 these representations with the future contingent 
 events that are observed to follow them, as for ex- 
 ample, a second sighted man sees a winding sheet 
 upon his neighbour, or blood running down his 
 face, shoulders, or arms, he concludes that he must 
 die, or be wounded in the face, shoulders, or arms. 
 If you will ask what warrant he has for this, he 
 will tell, he has found by experience, that whenever 
 he saw the like of this, that he found death or 
 wounds to follow. Quaeritur, then, what connex- 
 ion can this representation have with an effect or 
 contingent event not yet existant ? For answer to 
 this, God, who knoweth all things, no doubt im- 
 parteth much of the foreknowledge of things, not 
 only to good angels, but also evil angels, for rea- 
 sons well known to himself, particularly that they 
 might give some true signs, and so have way to 
 deceive in many things besides ; and though the 
 signs foretold should surely come to pass, it does 
 not infer that the doctrine of evil angels, and their 
 lies that they would suggest to mankind, should be 
 credited. This is clear from the 13th of Deutero- 
 nomy, 1, 2, and 3, verses, If there arise among you 
 a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee 
 a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder 
 come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, 
 let us go after other gods, (which thou has not 
 known), and let us serve them ; thou shalt not 
 hearken to the words of that prophet, or that 
 dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God proveth 
 you, to know whether you love the Lord your God, 
 with all your heart, and with all your soul. And 
 
 A
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. ITT 
 
 this is very just with God when men give them- 
 selves over to a reprobate and wicked mind, and 
 evil and unwarrantable practices, expressly against 
 the Lord's commands ; I say it is just with God to 
 let evil angels or spirits delude them, and give way 
 to these spirits in order to confirm their lies ; to 
 appoint signs before hand, which signs, by God's 
 appointment, may come to pass, answerable to the 
 prediction. It may rationally, and very probably 
 be concluded, that Allah's false prophets, in num- 
 ber 400, have often foretold truth ; and this pur- 
 posely by God's appointment, that they might be 
 the better believed, and more easily persuade to lay 
 siege to Ramoth Gilead ; and it is hard to conceive 
 that Ahab should give them so much credit, or they 
 themselves so extraordinary confident, if they had 
 not had many truths suggested to them, and made 
 proof of the same to Ahab. It is not for nought 
 that we are commanded to try the spirits, and that 
 rather by their doctrines, than their signs and won- 
 ders, or fair and smooth pretences. Therefore, 
 suppose these evil angels to know a contingent fu- 
 ture event, either by a revelation, or natural or 
 moral causes, they may, in the method foresaid 
 make the representation of them to the eyes or ears ; 
 as for example, an angel, good or bad, finds that 
 either the lungs, heart, stomach, liver, or brain, 
 are under such a consumption, as may against such 
 a time kill a man ; or that he knows the secret con- 
 trivance of a potent party that is resolved to wound 
 or kill him, or that it is revealed to him it should 
 be so (which may very well be, as has been above
 
 178 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 noted), he can easily represent these before hand, 
 though the event should follow but a considerable 
 time thereafter ; he has no more to do than to re- 
 verse the species of these things from a man's brain 
 to the organ of the eye. 
 
 Here ariseth a question from what has just been 
 said, whether it be more probable that good angels 
 make this representation (because men having this 
 second sight are found to tell truth, and to be in- 
 nocent in their lives, and free of any paction, either 
 implicit or explicit, likewise free of any fraudulent 
 design, and sound enough in the necessary articles 
 of their salvation), or that it be done by evil angels 
 for the trial of men and women, juggling with their 
 fancy and external organs, and so have a patent 
 way to tell lies among some truths. For answer to 
 this question, I shall not be ready positively to de- 
 termine these things, but I humbly conceive, that 
 as the representations are oft done by evil angels, 
 so likewise it is probable that it may be done by 
 good angels. I cannot be so uncharitable to seve- 
 ral men that I have known to be of considerable 
 sense, and pious and good conversation, as to con- 
 clude them to be given over to be deluded conti- 
 nually by an evil angel : Moreover, I conceive that 
 there are many good Christians, if they would ad- 
 vert well, that have some secret tokens and signs of 
 notable alterations to come, suggested to them be- 
 fore hand ; and that these signs, some of them are 
 common to them with others, as dreaming, which 
 are often observed to be completely fulfilled, and 
 that some of the signs and warnings are peculiar to
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 179 
 
 some persons, which fail not to answer to the things 
 signified ; as for example, I have certainly known 
 a man, that when he found an unvoluntary motion 
 in such a member of his body, particularly his right 
 hand or right eye, that was sure that some matter 
 of joy would shortly come to his hearing ; and that 
 if he found the same motion in the left eye or hand, 
 it signified infallibly grief : And that which is more 
 wonderful, the thing to come signified by these 
 signs and warnings keeped an exact proportion with 
 the continuance or vehemency of the motion ; if 
 the motion continued long, so did the joy or the 
 grief; if the motion was snell or vehement, so was 
 the matter of grief or joy ; and finding that this 
 man was both a good man, and of a right penetrat- 
 ing wit, and had art enough, it moved me to use 
 freedom with several other good men that had 
 knowledge and sense enough to examine circum- 
 stances to a hair. I found very many to acknow- 
 ledge the very same thing, yet signified by differ- 
 ent signs, (which shows they are not signa natu- 
 ralia, but ex institute), which puts me in mind of 
 Dr Brown's observation to the same purpose, in 
 his inquiry into vulgar errors, where he concludes 
 several presentations to be acted in us by our tute- 
 lary angels that have the charge of us at the time. 
 Mark this, though the signs be different in them- 
 selves, yet to each particular person, his own sign 
 is still significative of the same thing ; and why 
 might not this of the second sight be counted 
 amongst one of these ? I likewise humbly conceive, 
 that God might compense the want of many other
 
 180 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 gifts to poor men, by giving them this minor sort 
 of knowledge. But I would advise all of them 
 that have the second sight, to examine themselves, 
 and to pray earnestly to God that no evil angel 
 should have power to abuse their senses, because 
 the devil still strives to imitate what God, or his 
 good angels, communicates to his own children. I 
 know that the common opinion of some philosophers 
 and divines will be objected, and that is, that an- 
 gels, good or bad, may condense the air, figurate 
 and colorate the same, and make it of what figure 
 or shape they please, so that this representation is 
 made by external objects in effect emitting visible 
 species to the eye ; and consequently, that it is not 
 the reversion of the species formerly received; 
 though, as I have observed before, that good and 
 bad angels can alter the medium in a strange way, 
 and can work great alteration on the elements and 
 their compounds, I think it very improbable that 
 any created power can bring the air to that solidity, 
 and actually condense it, colorate, and figurate it, 
 as to represent a man by a beast, or Peter by Paul, 
 especially at such a distance as from one side of a 
 chamber to the other. The miracles done by the 
 magicians of Egypt is their Achillean argument ; 
 but in short, I say, that what was done by the ma- 
 gicians of Egypt, has neither been a delusion of the 
 senses, (as some would have it) much less that the 
 devil could produce the creatures de novo of con- 
 densed air, and that for the following reasons : 
 First, thence it would follow that Moses and Aaron 
 were deluded as well as the Egyptians ; but the
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 181 
 
 last is false, therefore the first : Secondly , it would 
 follow, that the fashioning and framing of Adam's 
 body of clay, was but a mean act of creation in 
 comparison of these creatures, if they should be 
 fashioned and framed of condense air, which is na- 
 turally a fluid element, not so easily stigmatized as 
 the earth. I do not deny but the devil can snatch 
 dead and quick bodies from one place to another, 
 and that insensibly to the beholders, by pressing 
 their optic nerves, as Franciscus Valesius has ob- 
 served in his Sacra Philosophic, and I conclude 
 with Abraham Couley, (no contemptible author) 
 that the magicians of Egypt were after this man- 
 ner served by the devil, to imitate God's power in 
 the hands of Moses and Aaron. Mark, finally, if 
 it were within the sphere of angelical power to take 
 bodies of condense air, what needed them assume 
 such material and earthly bodies as these angels 
 that came to Abraham and Lot assumed ? whose 
 bodies could be touched and handled, and whose 
 bodies were not found to yield to the touch, as the 
 most condensed air must do ; and it is very consist- 
 ing with reason, that the angels, good or bad, should 
 rather assume bodies of the element of the earth, 
 which is a great deal more easily brought to the fi- 
 gure and fashion of a body, than the air. Some 
 curious spirits, perhaps, may desire to know whe- 
 ther this second sight be hereditary or propagable 
 from father to son ; and I think no wonder that 
 some would think so, because the sanative gift of 
 the king's evil is lineally traduced to the natural 
 heirs of the crown of England ; and there is a whole
 
 182 A DISCOURSE OF 
 
 family in Spain, that has a sanative gift of some par- 
 ticular diseases, which gift is propagated from the 
 father to the son ; neither is it diminished or aug- 
 mented by the morality or immorality of the per- 
 sons, as has been observed by that famous phi- 
 losopher and physician, Franciscus Valesius, who 
 lived in that kingdom, and had time and opportu- 
 nity to examine the truth of this affair. In short, 
 I answer, that it is not propagable from father to 
 son, neither peculiar to any particular family ; and 
 as I have observed many honest men, free of all 
 scandal that ever I could learn, to have it ; so I 
 have observed many vicious persons to have it who 
 foretold truth oft enough. 
 
 Perhaps it may be doubted what should make 
 this second sight more frequent here than in the 
 heart of the kingdom ; I answer, that it is the lack 
 of observation and inquiry that it should not be 
 found there as well as here, fiecundo, that it passes 
 under a great odium and disgrace with the most of 
 men, which causes those that see it, conceal it. 
 Thirdly, I confess that credulity and ignorance 
 give occasion to evil spirits to juggle more frequent- 
 ly, than otherwise they would have done. But sure 
 it is, that men of little learning and education may 
 be recompensed by notable presentations, not so 
 obvious to others of greater parts. I remember of 
 a nobleman in Spain, that was deaf and dumb from 
 his infancy, and yet was taught by a monk to speak, 
 and understand what was spoken to him, only by 
 observing the motion of his lips that spoke to him. 
 Sir Keneim Digby saw him, as he tells in his Trea-
 
 THE SECOND SIGHT. 188 
 
 tise of Bodies, and the monk that taught him, was 
 a cousin of Franciscus Valesius. This was mare 
 than ordinary sagacity and docility, and it is found, 
 that many dumb persons foretel many things before 
 hand, and it is a hard measure to conclu le all to 
 be from evil spirits. In fine, as I noted before, as 
 questionless Satan may, and often does, deceive 
 after this manner, so it is as sure, it may be allow- 
 ed, that good angels may forewarn this way, as well 
 as by other signs and tokens, as Dr Brown observes. 
 
 It is observed, that those who have the second 
 sight, have this representation at any time of the 
 day, but indeed more ordinarily in the morning 
 and evening, and with candle light. 
 
 The design of these weak conceptions on this 
 sublime theme, is not to impose upon any man, 
 freely leaving every man to follow his own judg- 
 ment in things that offend not church or state, but 
 that others of greater capacity may be stimulated 
 to prosecute the same in a better method, humblj 
 submitting myself to the judgment of my betters, 
 to whose hands perhaps this pamphlet may come. 
 
 PINIS. 
 
 EDINBUBGH, 
 Printed by Thomas Webster.

 
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