we will say very little, seeing we have much to say of Margaret Byrom: and it is sufficient to heare at large of one of them, and were too much to discourse fully of euery of them, considering the number.
‘The 2. of February, in the night, Iohn Starchie had verie shorte fittes, and thick; and at the recouery of euery one, gaue 3 Knockes with his hand on the seeling, and said that he must haue 20 such fits. The next day he left knocking, and fell to washing his hands after euery short fitt, and when so euer he washed, he would have newe water; if it were the same wherewith he washed before (for he could tell) he refused it. About the 14 of Januarie, these 5 beinge in theire fits, one of them began to barke and howle (according to theire custom); after that 2. then 3, lastly they were all in, like a ring of 5 bells for order and tune, and so continued almost a quarter of an houre. After theer howling, they fell to a tumbling, and after that became speachlesse, sencelesse, and as dead.
‘On the 1. of February, 4. of them fell a dauncing; Elizabeth Hardman singing and playinge the minstrell, whome Anne Starchie (the 5 being well) followed, laughing at their toyes; but, after a while, she fel down as dead. All the time of their dauncing, they wist not what they did. If others called to them, they heard them not, answered not, and yet talked one to another.
‘The 1. or 2. weeke of Lent, Mistres Starchie required them all 5. to tell her how they were handled, that certaine knowledge might be had thereof to the preachers: they all answered that an angell like a doue was come from god, and that they must follow him to heauen, which way soeuer he would lead them, though it were through neuer so little a hole, for he toulde them he could drawe them through, and soe they ran under the beds. And Elizabeth Hardman was under a bedde making a hole, and beinge asked what she did, she said that she must goe through the wall, for she on the one side, and her lad on the other, would soone make a hole.
‘About a fortnight or three weekes before their delivery, Elinor Holland and Elizabeth Hardman foretould how many fits they shoulde haue before they slept, and, tomorrowe, quoth Elinor Holland in the forenoon I must haue a fit of 3 howers long. When the tyme came shee bad them set the hower glasse: they set it behind her, out of her sight; her eyes also was closed. She was sencelesse and speachlesse, saue the noting of the time, which she truly noted, saying, there is a quarter, the halfe hower, and, as the glasse was runne out, she sayde, turne the glasse; and thus did she 3 tymes, or 3 howers. After comming to herselfe, she said Iesus, blesse mee, which all of them usually said at the end of their fites. In like manner did Elizabeth Hardman, for 2 howers, who beinge demaunded how she knewe this, answered that a white Doue told them so.
‘About the 19 of March, the 4 youngest went on ther knees all morning until afternoone, and they fleed from all the familye and neighbours, into other chambers, calling them deuils with hornes, creeping under the bed, when they had the use of their feete; their tongues were taken from them.
‘When Maister Hopwood, a Justice of peace, came of purpose to take their testimony against Edmund Hartlay to Lancaster Assises, and had them before him to that end, they were speachlesse, and that daye, he gott no answer of them. Being called out of one chamber into another, they sank down by the way speachlesse. When they spake, they complayned that Edmund would not suffer them to speake against him.
‘At the same time Iane Ashton, a maid seruant in the house (the 7th possessed person, of the age of 30 yeares) began to bark and houle when she should haue gon to bear witnes against Edmund Hartlay, wherupon one of them in her fit said, Ah Edmund, dost thou trouble her now when she shold testify against thee? This was the second time she was troubled. Almost a yeare before, it first tooke her in her throat, as if she had a pyn sticking there, whereupon she strayned herselfe so sore that she got up bloud, and for two dayes was very sicke.
‘About the 21 of March. Ellinor Holland and Elizabeth Hardman for 3 dayes and 3 nights together could nether eate, nor drinke, nor speake to any except it were one to another, and to ther lads, saue that their lads gaue them leaue (as they said) the one to eate a toast and drink, the other a sower milk posset. And, notwithstanding that permission, thei said he was angry that thei had eaten, and told them that thei should not be quiet, until they had cast it up againe. So thei vomited, saying, take it to thee, here it is agayne, for thou gauest us lisence to eate it, and nowe thou art angry. And if thei went about to swallow a little drink, thei were so taken by the throat, that thei pict it up againe. The 3 night, about 8 a cloke, Elinor Holland being asked when she would or could slepe, answered that ther were 4 howers yet to come before she could slepe. About an houre and halfe of that time she tooke a distafe and spane both faster and finer than at any tym before. When she had done spinning, she said unto them, now shall I worke you all, and thenceforth was so extreamly handled, that two could scarcely rule and hold her. At length reuerting, she said I haue bene sleeping 3 daies and 3 nights, and now I faint with hunger.
‘About a weeke before there deliverance some of the youngest used these kind of speaches: thou naughtie lad, thou makest us sicke, for thou knowest the preachers will come shortly.
‘This generally was observed in the 5 youngest, that when they gaue themselves to any sporte, they had rest and were pleasaunt though the time was longe. Their parents report beyng at a playe in a neighbour gentleman’s house many houres together, they were quyet all the tyme (Hartlay boested that he had kept them so longe quyet); but on the contrary, as soon as they went about any godly exercise, they were trobled. And thus much brifly touching those 6 at Cleworth, and the strange accedents which fell out there, as also how in all probabilitie it came to be vexed, in like sort, by the appoyntment of God and by the same mediant hand, the devil, and Hartlay the coniurer.
‘The 10 of Ianuary (beyng the 4 day after her trouble begane), as Margaret Byrom sate by the kitchyne fyre, shee was throwne towardes the fire, lyinge hard by the chimneye barres, as though shee should have bene rosted. Thence she drewe her, and hauinge continued a longe tyme in the fitte, and recouerynge, about halfe an houer after, as shee satte in a Chaire, she was throwne headlonge under the boarde17 but had no harme, and thus was she suddenly and violently cast sundrie times after.
‘She, being desired to tel how her fits held her, said that she thought something rouled in her belly like a calfe, and laye euer on her left side, and when it rose up from her belly towardes her hart, she thought that the head and nose thereof had bene full of nayles, wherwith being pricked, she was compelled to scrike aloud with veri paine and feare. When her belly was swollen, it lift her up, and so bounded, that it would picke off the hand of him that held her downe, and sometyme the parti himself, that held her, farr off. When her belly slaked, there went out of hir mouth a could breath (that made her mouth very coulde), which caused her to barke and houle; then plumpte it down into her body like a colde longe whetstone, on her left side, when her belly was smale, wherewith shee so quaked, that her teeth chattered in her head, and, if she went to warme her, she was presently pickt backward.
‘About the end of Ianuary, from M. Starchie’s, she went home to Salford, a towne adioyning to Manchester, accompanyed with Hartlay and one other. The next morninge as Hartlay prayed ouer her in a fite, came one M. Palmer, a preacher of Manchester, who asked him what he was doinge: he answeared, Praying. Thou pray, thou cans’t not pray, quoth he, what prayer cans’t thou say? None, saide he, but the Lorde’s prayer. Say it, quoth he; the which, as I remember, he coulde not say. He then, as a privat man, examined him, and, after, had him before two Iustices of peace; from whom he brought him by ther appointment, to Margaret Byrom, to heare what she could say against him; but, as soone as she saw him shee straightwaye became speachlesse, and was cast downe backwardes, and so did she the 2 tyme; and 5 tymes was dumbe when Hartlay came in her sight.
‘This morning as she came to the fier, she sawe a great blacke dogge, with a monstrous taile, and a long chaine, Open mouth, comming apace towardes her, and, running
