XII.—Anent Mother Jackson her Witchcraft.
This story hath as much certainty with it as any human story can have. The author that writes it is a famous minister of the gospel, and it is attested by famous witnesses. This woman was arraigned and condemned at Newgate, for bewitching one Mary Glover, a merchant’s daughter in Thames Street. One Dr. Boncraft did inform Judge Anderson, then lord chief justice, That the said Mother Jackson was wronged; and that the maid did counterfeit; whereupon the lord chief justice gave orders to Sir John Crook, then recorder of London, to make trial of them in his chamber at the Temple. The maid being sent for, came with her mother and divers of the neighbours; and about an hour after the witch was sent for, and was brought in disguised like a country-market woman, with a mufflet hiding her face, and an old hat, and a short cloak spattered with mire. When she entered the chamber, the maid suddenly fell down backward upon the floor, with her eyes drawn into her head, her tongue towards her throat, her mouth drawn up to her ear, her body be came stiff and senseless. Her lips being shut close, a plain and audible voice came out of her nostrils, saying, “Hang her, hang her.” Then did the recorder cry for a candle, and a sheet of paper, and held the paper flaming to her hand, till her hand did blister; the blister did break, and water came out which dropt down upon the floor, the maid lying still and senseless as a dead body, with the voice coming out of her nostrils, saying, “Hang her, hang her.” Then the recorder called for a long pin, which he held in the flame of the candle till it was very hot, and thrust the head of it into her nostrils, to see if that would make her sneeze, wink, or bend her brows, or stir her head, which she did not, but lay still as one dead and senseless. Then I told the recorder (said my author), that I had often prayed with the maid, and that when I did conclude with the Lord’s prayer, the maid, as soon as I said, “but deliver us from evil,” was tost up and shaken, as if a mastiff dog should take a little cur into his mouth and shake him. Then the recorder bade the witch say the Lord’s prayer, which she did, till she came to these words, “but deliver us from evil,” which she skipt over, and would by no means be brought to say them. Then they bade her rehearse the articles of the Christian faith, which she did till she came to these words, “our Lord,” that Jesus Christ was our Lord. I told the recorder also, that when the maid was in her senseless and dead fits, if the witch did but lay her hand upon her, she was tost and thrown towards her. Thereupon the recorder caused the maid to be taken up and laid upon a bed, and clothes to be laid upon her, especially her head, because she should not see nor hear. Then he made signs to the women to stand round about the bed, and that the witch should stand among them, and that every one should lay hands upon her softly, which they did; and the maid did not stir till the witch laid her hand upon her, then all the clothes were thrown off and the maid tost towards her. Whereupon the recorder, looking upon the witch, said, “Lord have mercy upon thee, woman!” and sent her to Newgate. Then as soon as she was gone, the voice that came out of the maid’s nostrils ceased, and she came to herself; and went home with her mother. About three weeks or a month after the witch was condemned, the maid continued every second day in most strange and fearful fits and torments. The recorder hearing of it, did blame me and all the ministers of London; and told me, That we might all be ashamed to see a child of God in the claws of the devil, without any hope of deliverance, but by such means as God hath appointed, viz. fasting and prayer. Within few days after, it pleased God to make me an instrument to draw five ministers, and other good Christians together, to set apart, and to join with me in that holy exercise, wherein we continued from morning till after candle lighting. Then on a sudden, after a fearful conflict, which did much amaze some, and caused them to cry with a confused noise, “Jesus save, Jesus help,” the maid did start out of a wand chair, where she sat, and with her strength did lift me up with her. I kneeling behind her, and holding her in my arms, she did throw white froth out of her throat and mouth round about the chamber, and on a sudden fell down into the chair as one truly dead, with her head hanging down into the chair, her neck and arms limber and souple, which before were stiff as a frozen thing; then suddenly life came into her whole body, and her eyes, which were drawn into her head, and her tongue, which was pulled into her throat, came into their right place. Then she looked up with a cheerful countenance round about the chamber, and with a loud voice spake, saying, “O he is come, he is come, the Comforter is come, the Comforter is come, I am delivered.” Her father hearing these words, wept for joy, and with a faultering voice, said, “O these were her grandfather’s words when he was at the stake, the fire crackling about him.” It seems he died a martyr in Queen Mary’s time. Then she kneeled down, and offered a sweet evening sacrifice of thanks and praise to God for her deliverance, till her voice grew weak. Then did the minister speak to her to forbear, and let one of them end the day with thanksgiving. And in regard that I (said the minister) had begun the day with prayer, the company desired me to make it end with thanksgiving. This being done, care was had of her to put her to some minister for a year, least Satan should assault her again; and, by common consent, she was put to me; and I took her home to my own house for being my servant for that time, and her mother and sister, and lodged them at my house in great Saint Helen’s, which then was my living. This relation was published in the year 1642, by the minister, whose name is Lewis Hughes, and is yet to be seen in print.
XIII.—King Duff, the 78th King of Scotland, bewitched.
Though this be well known to all who read our Scots Histories, yet it will not be amiss to insert it here, as in its own place, for their sakes especially who have not heard of it. While the king was about the settling of the country, and punishing the troublers of the peace, he began to be sore afflicted in his body with a new and unheard of disease, no causes of his sickness appearing in the least. At length, after several remedies and cures were made use of to no purpose, a report was spread, the authors thereof being uncertain, that the king was brought to that sickness and trouble by witches. The suspicion arose from an unusual sweating he was under, his body pining and withering away by little and little, and his strength failing day by day; and since all his physicians had done their utmost, and yet no appearance of recovery, it was supposed his case was extraordinary. Therefore all men being vehemently intent upon the event, news came to the court, that night-meetings were kept at Forres, a town in Murray, for taking away the life of the king. This was presently received and believed for truth, because no other thing did occur for the present more probable. Whereupon trusty and faithful men are presently sent away to one Donald, governor of the castle there, in whom the king had the greatest trust and confidence. This man having gotten some knowledge of the business from a certain young wench, whose mother was under a bad report of being skilful in this black art, found out and discovered the whole matter. The young harlot is taken, because she had spoken some words rashly anent the king’s sickness, and that within a few days his life would be at an end. Some of the guard being sent, found the lass’s mother, with some haggs such as herself, roasting before a small moderate fire, the king’s picture made of wax. The design of this horrid act was, that as the wax by little and little did melt away, so the king’s body, by a continual sweating, might at last totally decay. The waxen image being found and broken, and those old haggs punished with death, the king did in that same moment recover. Compare this with the first relation, and you will find them jump and agree exactly.
XIV.—The Apparition of Edward Avon to his Son-in-law, Thomas Goddard.
Thomas Goddard of Marleburgh, in the county of Wilts, weaver, on the 9th of November 1674, going to Ogburn, at a stile on the high-way, about nine in the morning, met the apparition of his father-in-law, one Edward Avon of this town, glover, having upon him, to appearance, the same clothes, hat, stockings, and shoes he did usually wear when he was living, standing by, and leaning over that stile; which when he came near, the apparition spake to him, with an audible voice, these words, “Are you afraid?” To which he answered, “I am thinking on one who is dead and buried, whom you are like.” To which the apparition replied with the like voice, “I am he you were thinking on; I am Edward Avon your father-in-law: come near to me, I will do you no harm.” To which Goddard answered, “I trust in him that bought my soul with his precious blood, you shall do me no harm.” Then the apparition said, “How stands cases at home?” Goddard asked, “What cases?” Then it asked him, “How do William and Mary?” Meaning, as he conceived, his son William Avon, a shoemaker here, and Mary his daughter, the said Goddard’s wife. Then it said, “What? Taylor is dead; meaning, as he thought, one Taylor of London, who married his daughter Sarah; which Taylor died at Michaelmas last. Then the apparition held out his hand, and in it, as Goddard conceived, 20s. or 30s. in silver, and then spake with a loud voice, “Take this money, and send it to Sarah; for I shut up my bowels of compassion toward her in my lifetime, and now there is somewhat for her.” And then said, “Mary (meaning the said Goddard’s wife, as he conceived,) is troubled for me: but tell her, God hath shewed mercy contrary to my deserts.” But the said Goddard answered, “In the name of Jesus I refuse all such money.” Then the apparition said, “I perceive you are afraid, I will meet you some other time.” And immediately it went up the lane to his appearance; so he went over the same stile, but saw it no more that day. He saith, the next night, about seven of the clock, it came and opened his shop windows, and stood in the like clothes, looking him in the face, but said nothing to him. And the next night after, as Goddard went forth into his back-shop, with a candle in his hand, it appeared to him again in the same shape; but he being in fear ran into his house, and saw it no more then. But he saith, that on Thursday the 12th instant, as he came from Chilton, riding down the hill between the manor-house and Axford-farm-field, he saw somewhat like a hare crossing his way, at which his horse was frighted, threw him into the dirt, and as soon as he could recover on his feet, the same apparition met him there again in the same habit: and there, standing about eight foot before him in the way, spake again to him with a loud voice, “Source (a word he commonly used when living) you have stayed long,” and said to him, “Thomas, bid William Avon take the sword he had of me, which is now in his house, and carry it into the wood, as we go to Aiton, to the upper end of the wood, by the way-side, for with that sword I did wrong thirty years ago, and he never prospered since he had that sword. And bid William Avon give his sister Sarah 20s. which he received of me; and do you talk with Edward Laurence, for I borrowed 20s. of him several years ago, and did say I had paid him, but I did not pay it him; and I would desire you to pay him 20s. out of the money which you had from James Elliot at two payments.” Which money the said Goddard now saith was £.5. which James Elliot, a baker here, owed the said Avon on bond; and which he, the said Goddard, had received from the said Elliot since Michaelmas, at two payments, viz. 35s. at one, and 3l. 5s. at another payment. And it further said to him, “Tell Margaret (meaning his own wife, as he conceived) that I would desire her to deliver up the little money which I gave to little Sarah Taylor the child, or any one she will trust for it; but if she will not speak to Edward Laurence, persuade her; but if she still will not, then tell her that I will see her very suddenly; and see that this be done within a twelvemonth and a day after my decease, and peace be with you” And so it went away over the rails into the wood there, in the like manner as any man would go over a stile, to his apprehension; and so he saw it no-more at that time. And he saith, that he paid the 20s. to Edward Laurence of this town; who being present now, doth remember he lent the said Avon 20s. about twenty years ago, which none knew but himself and his wife, and Avon and his wife, and was never paid it again before now by this Goddard. And this Goddard further says, that this very day, by Mr. Major’s order, he, with his brother-in-law, William, went with this sword, and about nine o’clock this morning, they laid down the sword in the copse, near the place the apparition had appointed Goddard to carry it; and then coming away thence, Goddard looking back, saw the same apparition again in the like habit as before; whereupon he called to his brother-in-law, and said, “Here is the apparition of our father;” who said, “I see nothing:” then Goddard fell on his knees, and said, “Lord open his eyes that he may see it, if it be thy blessed will.” And the apparition, to Goddard’s appearance, beckoned with his hand to come to it, and then Goddard said, “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what would you have me to do?” To which it answered, “Thomas, take up the sword and follow me;” and so he took up the sword and followed the apparition about ten poles in length further into the copse, and then turning back, he stood still about a pole and a half from it, his brother-in-law staying behind at the place where they first laid down the sword; then Goddard laying down the sword upon the ground, saw something stand by the apparition like a mastiff dog of a brown colour. Then the apparition coming towards Goddard, he stept back about two steps; and the apparition said to him, “I have a permission to you, and a commission not to touch you;” and then it took up the sword, and went back to the place at which before it stood, with a mastiff-dog by it as before, and pointed the top of the sword into the ground, and said, “In this place lies buried the body of him whom I murdered in the year 1635, which is now rotten and turned to dust.” Whereupon Goddard said, “I do adjure you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, when did you commit this murder?” And it said, “I took money from the man, and he contended with me, and so I murdered him.” Then Goddard asked him, who was confederate with him in the said murder? and he said, “None but myself was accessory thereto.” Then Goddard said, “What would you have me to do in this thing?” and the apparition said, “That is, that the world may know that I murdered a man, and buried him in this place, in the year 1635.” Then the apparition laid down the sword on the bare ground there, whereon grew nothing, but seemed to Goddard as a grave sunk in; and the apparition running further into the copse, vanished, and he saw it no more; whereupon Goddard and his brother-in-law, Avon, went away together, leaving the sword there. Avon told Goddard he heard his voice, and understood what he said, and heard other words distinct from his, but could not understand a word of it, nor saw he any apparition at all, which he now, being present, affirmeth; and all which the said Goddard then attested under his hand; and affirmed he will depone to the same when he shall be thereto required.