In the end, when no meanes would serue, his Lordship commanded the Prisoner to be taken away, and the Maide to bee set vpon the Table in the presence of the whole Court, who deliuered her euidence in that Honorable assembly, to the Gentlemen of the Iurie of life and death, as followeth. viz.
Iennet Deuice, Daughter of Elizabeth Deuice, late Wife of Iohn Deuice, of the Forrest of Pendle aforesaid Widdow, confesseth and saith, that her said Mother is a Witch, and that this shee knoweth to be true; for, that shee had seene her Spirit sundrie times come vnto her said Mother in her owne house, called Malking-Tower, in the likenesse of a browne Dogge, which shee called Ball; and at one time amongst others, the said Ball did aske this Examinates Mother what she would haue him to doe: and this Examinates Mother answered, that she would haue the said Ball to helpe her to kill Iohn Robinson of Barley, alias Swyer: by helpe of which said Ball, the said Swyer was killed by witch-craft accordingly; and that this Examinates Mother hath continued a Witch for these three or foure yeares last past. And further, this Examinate confesseth, that about a yeare after, this Examinates Mother called for the said Ball, who appeared as aforesaid, asking this Examinates Mother what shee would haue done, who said, that shee would haue him to kill Iames Robinson, alias Swyer, of Barlow aforesaid, Brother to the said Iohn: whereunto Ball answered, hee would doe it; and about three weekes after, the said Iames dyed.
And this Examinate also saith, that one other time shee was present, when
her said Mother did call for the Ball, Her Spirit.who appeared in manner as
aforesaid, and asked this Examinates Mother what shee
would haue him to doe, whereunto this Examinates
Mother then said shee would haue him to kill
one Mitton of the Rough-Lee, whereupon
the said Ball said, he would doe it, and
so vanished away, and about three
weekes after, the said
Mitton likewise
dyed.
The Examination of Iames Device,
sonne of the said Elizabeth Device: Taken the
seuen and twentieth day of Aprill, Annoq; Reg. Regis
Iacobi Angliæ, &c. Decimo ac Scociæ, xlv.
Before
Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester,
Esquires, two of his Maiesties Iustices of the Peace, within
the said Countie. viz.
THe said Iames Deuice being examined, saith, That he heard his Grand-mother say, about a yeare agoe, That his mother called Elizabeth Deuice, and others, had killed one Henry Mitton of the Rough-Lee aforesaid, by Witchcraft. The reason wherefore he was so killed, was for that this Examinates said Grand-mother Old Demdike, had asked the said Mitton a penny; and he denying her thereof, thereupon she procured his death, as aforesaid.
And he, this Examinate also saith, That about three yeares agoe, this Examinate being in his Grand-mothers house, with his said mother; there came a thing in shape of a browne dogge, which his mother called Ball, who spake to this Examinates mother, in the sight and hearing of this Examinate, and bad her make a Picture of Clay like vnto Iohn Robinson, alias Swyer, and drie it hard, and then crumble it by little and little; and as the said Picture should crumble or mull away, so should the said Io. Robinson alias Swyer his body decay and weare away. And within two or three dayes after, the Picture shall so all be wasted, and mulled away; so then the said Iohn Robinson should die presently. Vpon the agreement betwixt the said dogge and this Examinates mother; the said dogge suddenly vanished out of this Examinates sight. And the next day, this Examinate saw his said mother take Clay at the West end of her said house, and make a Picture of it after the said Robinson, and brought into her house, and dried it some two dayes: and about two dayes after the drying thereof, this Examinates said mother fell on crumbling the said Picture of Clay, euery day some, for some three weekes together; and within two dayes after all was crumbled or mulled away, the said Iohn Robinson died.
Being demanded by the Court, what answere shee could giue to the particular points of the Euidence against her, for the death of these seuerall persons; Impudently shee denied them, crying out against her children, and the rest of the Witnesses against her.