First, that at the generall meetinges of those witches, he was always present,—that he was clarke to all those that were in subjection to the divel's service, bearing the name of witches,—that always hee did take their oathes for their true service to the divel, and that he wrote for them such matters as the divel still pleased to command him.
Item, hee confessed that by his witchcraft hee did bewitch a gentleman dwelling neare to the Saltpans, where the said Doctor kept schoole, only for being enamoured of a gentlewoman whome he loved himself; by meanes of which his sorcery, witchcraft, and divelish practices, hee caused the said gentleman that once in xxiiii howers he fell into a lunacy and madness, and so continued one whole hower together; and for the veritie of the same, he caused the gentleman to be brought before the Kinges Majestie, which was upon the xxiiii day of December last, and being in his Majesties chamber, suddenly hee gave a great scritch, and fell into madness, sometime bending himself, and sometime capering so directly up, that his heade did touch the seeling of the chamber, to the great admiration of his Majestie and others then present; so that all the gentlemen in the chamber were not able to hold him, untill they called in more helpe, who together bound him hand and foot; and suffering the said gentleman to lie still until his furie were past, hee within an hower came againe to himselfe, when being demaunded by the Kinges Majestie what he saw or did all that while, answered, that he had been in a sounde sleepe.
Item, the saide Doctor did also confesse, that hee had used meanes sundrie times to obtaine his purpose and wicked intent of the same gentlewoman, and seeing himselfe disappointed of his intention, hee determined by all wayes hee might to obtaine the same, trusting by conjuring, witchraft, and sorcerie, to obtaine it in this manner.
It happened this gentlewoman being unmarried, had a brother who went to schoole with the saide Doctor, and calling the saide scholler to him, demaunded if hee did lie with his sister, who answered he did, by meanes whereof he thought to obtain his purpose, and therefore secretly promised to teach him without stripes, so he woulde obtaine for him three hairs of his sister's privitees, at such time as hee should spie best occasion for it; which the youth promised faithfully to performe, and vowed speedily to put it in practice, taking a piece of conjured paper of his maister to lap them in when hee had gotten them; and thereupon the boy practised nightly to obtaine his maister's purpose, especially when his sister was asleep.
But God, who knoweth the secret of all harts, and revealeth all wicked and ungodly practices, would not suffer the intents of this divelish Doctor to come to that purpose which hee supposed it woulde, and therefore to declaire that hee was heavily offended with his wicked intent, did so work by the gentlewoman's own meanes, that in the ende the same was discovered and brought to light; for shee being one night asleep, and her brother in bed with her, sodainly cried out to her mother, declaring that her brother woulde not suffer her to sleepe; whereupon, her mother having a quicke capacitie, did vehemently suspect Doctor Fian's intention, by reason shee was a witch of herself, and therefore presently arose, and was very inquisitive of the boy to understand his intent, and the better to know the same, did beat him with sundrie stripes, whereby hee discovered the truth unto her.
The mother, therefore, being well practised in witchcraft, did thinke it most convenient to meete with the Doctor in his owne arte, and thereupon took the paper from the boy wherein hee would have put the same haires, and went to a yong heyfer which never had borne calf, nor gone unto the bull, and with a paire of sheeres clipped off three haires from the udder of the cow, and wrapt them in the same paper, which shee again delivered to the boy, then willing him to give the same to his saide maister, which hee immediately did.
The schoole maister, so soone as he did recieve them, thinking them indeede to be the maids haires, went straight and wrought his arte upon them: But the Doctor had no sooner done his intent to them, but presently the hayfer cow, whose haires they were indeede, came unto the door of the church wherein the schoole maister was, into the which the hayfer went, and made towards the schoole maister, leaping and dancing upon him, and following him forth of the church, and to what place soever he went, to the great admiration of all the townsmen of Saltpans, and many others who did behold the same.
The report whereof made all men imagine that hee did worke it by the divel, without whome it coulde never have been so sufficiently effected; and thereupon the name of the saide Doctor Fian (who was but a young man), began to grow common among the people of Scotland, that he was secretly nominated for a notable conjurer.
All which, although in the beginning he denied, and woulde not confesse, yet having felt the paine of the bootes,[4] (and the charme stinted as aforesaide) hee confessed all the aforesaide to be most true, without producing any witnesses to justifie the same; and thereupon before the Kings Majestie hee subscribed the sayd confessione with his owne hande, which for truth remaineth upon record in Scotland.
After that the depositions and examinations of the sayd Doctor Fian, alias Cuningham, was taken, as alreddie is declared, with his own hand willingly set thereunto, hee was by the maister of the prison commited to ward, and appointed to a chamber by himselfe, where foresaking his wicked wayes, acknowledging his most ungodly life, shewing that hee had too much followed the allurements and enticements of Sathan, and fondly practised his conclusions by conjuring, witchcraft, inchantment, sorcerie, and such like, he renounced the divel and all his wicked workes, vowed to lead the lyfe of a Christian, and seemed newly converted towards God.