Lucas, Marcas, Matthew, Joannes,
God be into this house, and all that belang us.
But when she sought for an answer from the devil upon any occasion, he appeared to her in the shape of a dog. But the way of dismissing and conjuring him to go was thus: I charge thee to depart on the law thou lives on, as she did, when she dismissed him after consulting him about the old Lady Edmiston’s sickness. But the manner how she raised the devil was with these words: Elva, come and speak to me;—who came in the likeness of a dog. Her sailing with her kimmers and fellow witches in a boat to a ship, is very remarkable, where the devil caused her and them to drink good wine and beer without money; she neither seeing the mariners, nor the mariners her; and after all, the devil raised a wind, whereby the ship perished. Her baptizing and using other ceremonies upon a cat, with other witches, to hinder Queen Anne from coming into Scotland. Her raising of a spirit to conjure a picture of wax for destroying Mr. John Moscrope.
But to be more particular, I shall give you her own confession to King James. Item, Failied and convict of so much, that the devil, in man’s likeness, met her going out to the fields from her own house at Keith, betwixt five and six at even, being alone, and commanded her to be at North Berwick kirk the next night. To which place she came on horseback, conveyed by her good-son, called John Couper, and lighted at the kirk yard, or a little before she came to it, about eleven hours at even. They danced along the kirk yard, Geilie Duncan playing on a trump, and John Fein muzzled led the king; the said Agnes and her daughter followed next. Besides, there were Kate Gray, George Moilis’s wife, Robert Grierson, Katherine Duncan, Bessie Wright, Isobel Gilmour, John Graymail, Duncan Buchanan, Thomas Barnhill, and his wife, Gilbert Mackgill, John Mackgill, Katharine Mackgill, with the rest of their kimmers, above an 100 persons, whereof there were six men, and all the rest women. The women made first their courtesy to their master, and then the men. The men turning nine times widdershines’ about, and the women six times. John Fein blew up the kirk-doors, and blew in the lights, which were like meikle black candles sticking round about the pulpit.
The devil started up himself in the pulpit like a meikle black man; and calling the row, every one answered, Here. Mr. Rob. Grierson being named, they all ran hirdie girdie, and were angry, for it was promised he should be called Robert the Comptroller, alias Robert the Rower, for expriming of his name.
The first thing he demanded was, If they all kept promise, and had been good servants, and what they had done since the last time they had convened. At his command, they opened up three graves, two within, and one out of the kirk, and cutted off from the dead corpses the joints of their fingers, toes, and nose, and parted them amongst them; and the said Agnes Simpson got, for her part, a winding-sheet and two joints. The devil commanded them to keep the joints upon them till they were dry, and then to make a powder of them, to do evil withal. Then he commanded them to keep his commandments, which were to do all the evil and mischief they could. Before they departed, and were dismist, they behoved to kiss his arse, (with reverence to the reader.) He had on him a gown and a coat, which were both black. And they that were assembled, part stood and part sat. John Fein was ever nearest the devil, at his left elbock. Graymail keeped the door.
That which is observable in John Fein is, that the devil appeared to him, not in the black, but in white raiment; but proposed as hellish a covenant to him as those fiends to appear in black. His skimming in the sea in a boat, is remarkable, with those of his accomplices: and his fortelling the leak in the Queen’s ship by the help of the devil. His raising winds with the rest, when the king sailed into Denmark, by casting a cat into the sea, which the devil delivered to them, and taught them to cry, Hola, when they first cast it in. His raising a mist at the king’s return from Denmark, by getting Satan to cast a thing like a foot ball (it appearing to John like a wisp) into the sea, which made a reek to arise, whereby the king’s majesty might be cast upon the coast of England. His opening of locks by sorcery, by mere blowing into a woman’s hand, while he sat by the fire. His embarking in a boat with other witches, and all of them sailing over sea, and entering within a ship, and drinking good wine and ale there, and sinking the ship when they had done, with the persons in it. His kissing Satan’s arse (with reverence) again at another conventical. His being swiftly carried above in the air, in chasing of a cat, to catch her to cast into the sea, thereby to raise winds, according to the prescription of Satan. His pretending to tell any man how long he should live, if he told him but the day of his birth.
IV.—A Proclamation over the Market Cross of Edinburgh, at twelve o’clock at night.
After that king James IV. had mustered his army in the Burrow-muir, being at that time a large spacious field, and most pleasant and delightful, by reason of many stately oaks which overshadowed the place; about midnight, in the month of July, there was a proclamation heard at the market-cross of the town, summoning a great many burgesses, gentlemen, barons, and noblemen, to appear before the tribunal of one Plotcock.