Prayer for near a Year. See this Cafe answer'd in the 9th Chapter of this Book.

One Glover, an Irish Papift, hanged at Bo1689 fton in New-England for fuppofed Witchcraft. See Cotton Mather's remarkable Providences.

Elizabeth Carrier, Margery Coombs, and Anne 1691 Moor, committed for fuppofed Witchcraft upon Mary Hill of Beckinton, by Frome, in Somerfetfhire. One of them died in Goal; the other Two were tried before the Right Honourable the Lord Chief Juftice Holt, and were acquitted. And the Maid that was thought to have been bewitch'd, in a little Time did well, and was fit for Service. See Mr. Baxter's Certainty of the World of Spirits, p. 74.

Several tried by swimming, in Suffolk, Effex, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, and fome drown'd in the Tryal.

Nineteen hanged at Salem in New-England. 1692 One prefs'd to Death. Eight more condemn'd. Fifty confefs'd themfelves Witches, and were pardon'd. One Hundred and Fifty were in Prifon, above 200 accused, and many fled the Country to fave their Lives. See Calef. p. 41.

Widow Chambers of Upafton in Suffolk, á 1693 diligent indultrious poor Woman, committed

to Beccles Goal upon an Accufation of Witchcraft, and died in Prifon before her Tryal. After fhe had been walk'd betwixt two, fhe confeffed à great many Things of her felf, and in particular, fhe faid, he had kill'd her Husband, and the Lady Blois; tho' the near Relations of that good Lady were fatisfied, that he died a fair Death, without any Hurt from that poor Woman; and fome for Experiment fake ask'd her, if fhe had not kill'd fuch and fuch; and the confeffed fhe had, tho' the Perfons were then living.

Mother

Mother Munnings of Hartis in Suffolk, wast tried before the Lord Chief Justice Holt, at 1694 Bury St. Edmunds. Many Things were depofed concerning her fpoiling of Wort, and hurting Cattel, and that feveral Perfons, upon their Death-Beds, had complained that the killed them.

3

It was fworn, that Thomas Pannel, her Landlord, not knowing how to get her out of his House, took away the Door, and left her without one. Some Time after, he happening to pafs by, fhe faid to him, Go thy way, thy Nofe fhall lye upward in the Church-Yard before Saturday next. On Monday following her Landlord fickened, and died on Tuesday, and was buried within the Week, according to her Word. To confirm this, it was added by another Witness, that a Doctor whom they had confulted about an afflicted Perfon, when this Mother Munnings was mentioned, faid, fhe was a dangerous Woman, the could touch the Line of Life. In her Indictment, fhe was charged to have an Imp like a Pole-Cat and one Witness fwore, that, coming from the Alehouse, about Nine at Night, he looked in at her Window, and faw her take out of her Basket TwoImps, a Black and a White. It was alfo depofed, that one Sarah Wager, after a Quarrel with this Woman was taken dumb and lame, and was in that Condition at home, at the Time of her Tryal. Many other Things were fworn, but the Jury were fo well directed, that they brought her in, Not-Guilty; and upon particular Enquiry of feveral in, or near the Town, I find moft are fatisfied that it was a very right Judgment. She lived about Two Years after, without doing any known Harm to any body, and died declaring her Innocence. Her Landlord was a confumptive spent Man, and the Words not exactly as they wore them, and the whole Thing 17 Years before. For by a Certificate from the Regifter, I find he was buried June 20. 1677. The white Imp is be

lieved to have been a Lock of Wool, taken out of her Basket to fpin; and its Shadow, it is fuppofed, was the black one.

Margaret Elnore was tried at Ipswich be1694 fore the Lord Chief Juftice Holt. She was committed upon the Account of one Mrs. Rudge, who was Three Years in a languifhing Condition, as was thought, by the Witchcraft of the Prifoner then at the Bar, because Mr. Rudge, Husband of the af ficted Perfon, had refufed letting her a Houfe. Some Witneffes faid, that Mrs. Rudge was better upon the Confinement of the Woman, and worfe again, when her Chains were off. Other Witneffes gave Account, that her Grandmother, and her Aunt had formerly been hanged for Witches, and that her Grandmother had faid, fhe had eight, or nine Imps; and that he had given Two or Three Imps a-piece to her Children. Others gave an Account of a Tet in her fecret Parts.

A Midwife who had fearcht her Grandmother, who had been hanged, faid, this Woman had plainer Marks than fhe. Others made Oath of their being covered with Lice after Quarrels with her. But not withstanding thefe Depofitions, the Jury brought her in, Not Guilty; and tho' I have made particular Enquiry, I do not hear of any ill Confequence, but all probable Appearance of the poor Woman's Innocence. For after the Tryal, when he was at li berty, Mrs. Rudge continued in a reasonable good Health, and feveral Years after Margaret's Death, fhe fell again into the fame kind of Pains (fuppo fed from the Salt Humour) and died of the fame Distemper.

*

Mary Guy, tried before the Lord Chief 1695 Juftice Holt at Launceston in Cornwall, for fuppofed Witchcraft upon Philadelphia Row. It was depofed, that the Appearance of the faid Mary Guy was often seen by that Girl, and that the vomited

Pins, Straws, and Feathers. But notwithstanding fuch Depofitions, the Prifoner was acquitted.

Elizabeth Horner was tried before the Lord Chief Juftice Holt at Exeter. Three Children 1696 of William Bovet were thought to have been bewitched by her, whereof one was dead. It was depofed, that another had her Legs twisted, and yet from her Hands and Knees, fhe would fpring five Foot high. The Children vomited Pins, and were bitten (if the Depofitions were true) and pricked and pinched, the Marks appearing. The Children faid, Befs Horner's Head would come off from her Body, and go into their Bellies. The Mother of the Children depofed, that one of them walked up a fmooth plaiftered Wall, till her Feet were nine Foot high, her Head ftanding off from it. This, fhe faid, fhe did five or fix Times, and laughed, and faid, Befs Horner held her up. This poor Woman had fomething like a Nipple on her Shoulder, which the Children faid was fucked by a Toad. Many other odd things were depofed, but the Jury brought her in Not Guilty, and no Inconvenience hath followed from her Acquittal.

The Account of these Four laft Tryals, I must acknowledge to the great' Favour of my Lord Chief Juftice Holt, who gave Leave to Sir James Montague to lend me the Notes which he took of the Depofitions that were made at the Time of those Tryals.

1697

About eight and twenty were accused by Mrs. Chriftian Shaw, a Girl of about Eleven Years old. One Man died in Prison, maintaining his Innocency; another was found hanged in Goal. Two Boys and a Girl, and two more, five in all, faved themselves by confeffing; and upon their Teftimony, feven were executed, denying their Guilt. The Girl outlived all, and was well, for all the fuppofed Sorcery and Witchcraft of Eight and twenty. This was in the County of Renfrew, the Weft of Scotland. The Narrative of their Cafe, with the Speeches of the Advo

cates,

cates, was written and printed in London, with the Title of Sadducifmus Debellatus, and had a Second Edition long fince, and is now moft of it reprinted in The Compleat Hiftory of Witchcraft. In the following Book, I have mention'd fome of the falfe Rules and Signs that feem to have mifled them.

Sarah Fowles of Hammersmith, was Tried at 1698 the Seffions in the Old Baily in London, and fet in the Pillory, for pretending to be poffefs'd, when he was not; and making ill use of it.

Several others in other Places, about Eleven in all. have been Tried for Witches before my Lord Chief Juftice Holt, and have all been acquitted.

The laft of them was Sarah Morduck, accu1701 fed by Richard Hathaway, and Tried at Guilford Affize, Anno 1701, where the faid Sarah Morduck was cleared, and Hathaway was indicted for an Impoftor, and afterward was fet in the Pillory. See a larger Account of it in the Fifteenth Chapter of this Book. Impoftor the Seventh.

CHAP. III.

OBSERVATIONS upon upon the Matters of

Clerg.

TH

FACT.

HIS Collection, Mr. Advocate, is as full as I have been able to make out of thofe Authors that I have met with: And as I faid before, that my Notions of Philofophy and Chriftianity were much against the vulgar Doctrines of Witchcraft, this View of thefe Facts confirms me in the bad Opinion I have of moft of them.