| PAGE | |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| Universal Belief in the Personality of the Devil, as portrayed by the British Artist—Arguments in Favour of hisPersonality—Ballad—‘Terrible and Seasonable Warning to Young Men’ | [1] |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| ‘Strange and True News from Westmoreland’—‘The Politic Wife’—‘How the Devill, though subtle, wasguld by a Scold’—‘The Devil’s Oak’—Raising the Devil—Arguments in Favour of Devils—The Number of Devils | [13] |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| ‘The Just Devil of Woodstock’—Metrical Version—Presumed Genuine History of ‘The Just Devil of Woodstock’ | [28] |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| ‘The Dæmon of Tedworth’ | [47] |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| ‘The Dæmon of Burton’—‘Strange and Wonderful News from Yowel, in Surrey’—The Story of Mrs. Jermin—ACase at Welton—‘The Relation of James Sherring’ | [60] |
| [CHAPTER VI.] | |
| A Demon in Gilbert Campbell’s Family—Case of SirWilliam York—Case of Ian Smagge—Disturbances at Stockwell | [72] |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
| Possession by, and casting out, Devils—The Church and Exorcisms—Earlier Exorcists—‘The Strange andGrievous Vexation by the Devil of 7 Persons in Lancashire’ | [85] |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
| James I. on Possession—The Vexation of Alexander Nyndge—‘WonderfulNews from Buckinghamshire’—Sale of a Devil | [113] |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
| The Witch of Endor—The ‘Mulier Malefica’ of Berkeley—Northern Witches | [129] |
| [CHAPTER X.] | |
| The Legal Witch—James I. on Witches—Reginald Scot on Witches—Addison on Witches | [139] |
| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
| How a Witch was made—Her Compact with the Devil—HellBroth—Homage and Feasting—The Witches’ Sabbat | [148] |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
| Familiar Spirits—Matthew Hopkins, the ‘Witch-finder’—Prince Rupert’s dog Boy—Unguents used for transportingWitches from Place to Place—Their Festivities at the Sabbat | [157] |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] | |
| Waxen Figures—Witches change into Animals—WitchMarks—Testimony against Witches—Tests for, and Examination of, Witches | [175] |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
| Legislation against Witches—Punishment—Last Executionsfor Witchcraft—Inability to weep and sink—Modern Cases of Witchcraft | [191] |
| [CHAPTER XV.] | |
| Commencement of Witchcraft in England—Dame Eleanor Cobham—Jane Shore—Lord Huntingford—Cases fromthe Calendars of State Papers—Earliest Printed Case, that of John Walsh—Elizabeth Stile—Three Witchestried at Chelmsford—Witches of St. Osyth—Witches of Warboys—Witches of Northamptonshire | [199] |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
| The Lancashire Witches—Janet Preston—Margaret and Philip Flower—Anne Baker, Joane Willimot, and EllenGreene—Elizabeth Sawyer—Mary Smith—Joan Williford, Joan Cariden, and Jane Hott | [220] |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] | |
| Confessions of Witches executed in Essex—The Witches of Huntingdon—‘Wonderful News from the North’—Trialof Six Witches at Maidstone—Trial of Four Witches at Worcester—A Lancashire Witch tried at Worcester—A Tewkesbury Witch | [234] |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] | |
| A Case of Vomiting Stones, etc., at Evesham—Anne Bodenham—JulianCox—Elizabeth Styles—Rose Cullender and Amy Duny | [246] |
| [CHAPTER XIX.] | |
| The Case of Mary Hill of Beckington—The Confession of Alice Huson—Florence Newton of Youghal—TemperanceLloyd (or Floyd), Mary Trembles, and Susannah Edwards | [260] |
| [CHAPTER XX.] | |
| Elizabeth Horner—Pardons for Witchcraft—A Witch taken in London—Sarah Mordike—An Impostor convicted—Caseof Jane Wenham—The Last Witch hanged in England | [273] |
| [CHAPTER XXI.] | |
| Scotch Witches—Bessie Dunlop—Alesoun Peirson—Dr. John Fian—The Devil a Preacher—Examination ofAgnes Sampson—Confession of Issobel Gowdie | [287] |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] | |
| Early Witchcraft in Scotland—Lady Glamys—Bessie Dunlop—Lady Foulis—Numerous Cases | [301] |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] | |
| Witchcraft in America—In Illinois: Moreau and Emmanuel—In Virginia: Case of Grace Sherwood—In Pennsylvania:Two Swedish Women—In South Carolina—In Connecticut: Many Cases—In Massachusetts:Margaret Jones; Mary Parsons; Ann Hibbins; Other Cases | [311] |
| [CHAPTER XXIV.] | |
| Cotton and Increase Mather—The Case of Goodwin’s Daughter—That of Mr. Philip Smith—The Story ofthe Salem Witchcrafts—List of Victims—Release of Suspects—Reversal of Attainder, and Compensation | [326] |
| [Appendix] | [340] |
THE DEVIL IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
CHAPTER I.
Universal Belief in the Personality of the Devil, as portrayed by the British Artist—Arguments in Favour of his Personality—Ballad—‘Terrible and Seasonable Warning to Young Men.’
The belief in a good and evil influence has existed from the earliest ages, in every nation having a religion. The Egyptians had their Typho, the Assyrians their Ti-a-mat (the Serpent), the Hebrews their Beelzebub, or Prince of Flies,[1] and the Scandinavians their Loki. And many religions teach that the evil influence has a stronger hold upon mankind than the good influence—so great, indeed, as to nullify it in a large degree. Christianity especially teaches this: ‘Enter ye by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it.’ This doctrine of the great power of the Devil, or evil influence over man, is preached from every pulpit, under every form of Christianity, throughout the world; and although at the present time it is only confined to the greater moral power of the Devil over man, at an earlier period it was an article of belief that he was able to exercise a greater physical power.
This was coincident with a belief in his personality; and it is only in modern times that that personality takes an alluring form. In the olden days the Devil was always depicted as ugly and repulsive as the artist could represent him, and yet he could have learned a great deal from the modern Chinese and Japanese. The ‘great God Pan,’ although he was dead, was resuscitated in order to furnish a type for ‘the Prince of Darkness’; and, accordingly, he was portrayed with horns, tail and cloven feet, making him an animal, according to a mot attributed to Cuvier, ‘graminivorous, and decidedly ruminant’; while, to complete his classical ensemble, he was invested with the forked sceptre of Pluto, only supplemented with another tine.
