by the fier, houlding her tounge for halfe an hower, but leauinge at libertie her eyes and handes. A litle after, a bigge blacke catt, staringe fearfully at her, came runinge by her left side, and threwe her backward, taking from her the use both of her eyes and handes, which with yesking18 were euer losed. About halfe hower after that fit, it came like a bige mouse, and lept upon her left knee, cast her backward, took away her tongue, eyes, and sences, that she lay as dead, and when she came to any feeling, it put up her bellye as before. These visions and fites ordinarely troubled her for 6 weeks every day, on the daytime, as is said; and commonly everi night (as she thought) it sat on her head, very heavi, laying (as it seemed to her) 4 great fingers on her browes, that she was not able to open her eies. Often times she cried to her mother that she should sit from off her Head, asking who it was that held her soe straight, and, though she could not ster her head, hir kerchefe was pulled off her head commonly, she, notwithstanding, lying still as a stocke from 9 to 3 in the morning, about which time it departed. In departing, it somtimes gaue her a great thumpe, on the hinder parte of her head, that it was verye sore for 2 dayes after.
‘Sixe times within those 6 weekes, the sperit would not suffer her to eate or drincke; it tooke awaye, also, her stomake. If she offered to drincke (at the earnest motion of others) it cast her and the drincke downe together. At other tymes shee did eate greedily, slossinge up her meate like a greedy dogge, or hogge, that her mother and her friendes were ashamed of her. Styll shee was hungrye and cryed for more, saying shee had nothing, though she spared no kinde of meate: all was fish that cam to nett. After abundance of meate her belly semed neuer the fuller, that she marueiled which waye it went.
‘The 10 of februari, it pulled her, as she thought, in an hundred peeces. Ther came out of her mouth such a stincking smoke and breath, that shee could not endure it her selfe. Her voyce and crying were quite altered, and so continued till night. But her breath stank soe yll a day and a nyght after, that her neighboures could not endure to come neare her.
‘Often, her sences were taken away, and she made as styfe as iron, and oft as dead, euen breathlesse: somtymes it made a loud noyse in her bellye, like that in the bellye of a great troting horse.
‘The two next nights before the day of her examination concerning Hartlay, appeared the deuill in the likenesse of Hartlay, requesting her to take heed what she sayd, and to speake the truth, for the time was come: promising her siluer and gould. She answered (thinking it to be Hartlay) that the truth she had spoken already, and that she would not favour him, neither for siluer nor gold. The 2 night he departed, saying, doe as thou wilt. The day before Hartlay, his execution, was a sore day unto her, after which, euery day, she went to morning prayer, and was never troubled in the Church, saue the 1 day, whereon it took her about the middest of the sermon, in heauing up her shoulders, depriuing her of her sences. After the recouery of her sences, it tooke away the use of her leggs, and thus it molested her in the Church, to the admyration of the people, about an hower and halfe.
‘At the assises at Lancaster, was Hartlay condemned and hanged. The making of his circle was chiefly his ouerthrowe, which he denyed; but breaking the rope, he, after, confessed it.
‘After this time, she had more ease in the day, than she was wont; but, in the night, she lay stif and stark, quaking and trembling, till the day she came to Cleworth.
‘It going thus with the 6 at Cleworth and the 7 at Salford, M. Starchie according to the counsel before given him, procured first one preacher, then an other to see them, but they knew not well what to say to their affliction. After hauing intelligence, by D. Dee his butler, of the like greuous affliction of Thomas Darling, his uncle’s son, and recouery upon the aduice given by myself, he requested D. Dee his letter unto me (though unacquainted) and obteyned it, wherwith he sent his owne also, which preuayled not with me.
‘Thereuppon, he procured other letters, whereof one was from a Iustice of peace therby, and sent the second time unto me. Then I, crauinge first the aduice of many of my brethren in the ministery, met togither at an exercise, yealded to M. Starchie’s request, and, about 3 weekes after, went thither.
‘On the 16 of March ’96 M. George More, pastor of Cawlke in Darbyshire, and myself, came to Cleworth. Whither when we were come, M. Starchie tould us, that his sonn had bene well about a fortnight, and his daughter 4 dayes: and, surely, to see to, they were, at that instant, as well and free from any possession by Sathan, as any other; which we suspected to procede from the subtilty of the diuel, and so it proved.
‘Shortly after our comming, as we sat at dinner, came in Margaret Hardman and hir sister, and Elinor Holland, one after another, like players to bid us welcom. For as much as nobody sent for me, said one of them, I am come of my owne accord. And, hauing thus spoken, shee was throwen backward on a forme; and so all 3 were strangely and greuosly tormented. Their faces (as I remember) were disfigured, their bodyes (I am sure) greatly swelled, and such a sensible stiring and rumbling within their bodyes, as to one’s sight and feling they had some quick thing within each of them; and not only so, but such a violent mouing there was also in their inward parts, (especially in M. Hardman) as was easily hearde of us that were present. I remember, also, among the manifold pleasant speaches they used, one or moe spake iocondly concerning Edmund Hartlay’s hanging, who was then newly executed; and it was to this effect. Do they think they could hang the diuel? I wis no. They might hang Edmund, but they coulde not hang the diuel. No maruel though the rope broke; for there were two, Edmund and the diuel. By that which I heard of his fits (whereof we haue partly heard before) I, for my part, then thought, and doe so still, that in the end, he who had so sweetly (by kisses, forsooth,) sent the diuel into so many, had, by the iust iudgment of god, the diuell sent into him.
‘Then hearde we Iane Ashton howling, and perceiueing it was supernaturall, and hearing also, other strange things concerning her, especiallye that which was new fallen out of the swelling of her belly, whereof you shal heare: we affirmed that we thought that she, also, was possessed, which neither the family, nor the mayd, herself, mistrusted or feared; and ther was cause, for besides her first taking with the hoke and the wordes Hartlay used thereupon, and kisses before, with promis of mariage (which all were, perhaps, forgotten), she was taken with barking, as the rest were, when M. Hopwoode cam to examine them. Againe, the children said no lesse in their fits, for, when she cam in their sight, they would say, come and help us, for thou art one of our company. And though they neither knew nor speake to any other, yet Iane they knewe, and speake to her onlye in these wordes, thou wilt shortlye come in amongst us. And shee, herself, acknowledged that somtimes, as she carrien up hot Ianoks,19 she thought that she could haue eaten up a Ianoke, and often did eat much by stealth, being passing hungry like Margaret Byrom and the children, who, likewise, were sometymes exceedinglye greedye of meate. This day, also, an hower or two before we came, her belly began to swell greatly, so that she compared her bellye to a woman’s great with child. When it abated a little, a breath came up her throat, which caused yelling: after, it fell downe into hir body like a cold stone, as it did with Margaret Byrom. And, as soone as tydings came that we were come, presently her belly was fallne, and as litle as in former time, and so continued.
‘Not long after our comming, all 7 being had in a chamber, the one of us applyed his speach according to the present occasion: and then, behold, all of them, even Iane Ashton, and M. Starchie’s children were presently greuiously tormented. Yea, Satan, in Iohn Starchie exceeded for crueltye.
‘And thus they contynued all that afternoone. 3 or 4 of them gaue themselves to Scoffing and Blasphemy, calling the holy Bible, being brought up, bible bable, bible bable; and thus they did aloud and often. All, or most of them ioyned together in a strange and supernatural loud whupping, that the house and ground did sound therwith againe; by reason
