faith sche tuke at the funt stane?109 Quhairunto sche ansuerit, “That gif sche suld be revin110 at horsis-taillis sche suld neuir do that:” bot promeist to be leill and trew to him in onye thing sche culd do. And, forder, he was sumthing angrie with hir that sche wald nocht grant to him that quhilk he spak.
‘(5) Item. The ferd tyme he apperit in hir awin hous to hir, about the XII hour of the day, quhair thair was sittand thre tailyeouris, and hir awin gudeman; and he tuke hir apperoun and led hir to the dure with him, and sche followit, and geid111 up with him to the kill end, quhair he forbaid hir to speik or feir for ony thing sche hard or saw; and quhene thai had gane ane lytle pece fordwerd, sche saw twelf personnes, aucht wemene and four men: The men wer clad in gentlemennis clething, and the wemene had all plaiddis round about thame, and wer verrie semelie lyke to se; and Thome was with theme: And demandit, “Gif sche knew ony of thame?” Ansuerit, “Nane, except Thom.” Demandit, “What said thai to hir?” Ansuerit, “Thai baid hir sit doun, and said, Welcome Bessie, will thow go with ws?” Bot sche ansuerit nocht; because Thom had forbidden hir. And, forder, declarit, That sche knew nocht quhat purpois thai had amangis thaime, onlie sche saw thair lippis move; and within a schort space thai pairtit all away; and ane hiddeous uglie sowche of wind followit thame; and sche lay seik quhill Thom came agane bak fra thame.
‘(6) Item. Sche being demandit, Gif sche sperit at Thom quhat personnes thai war? Ansuerit, That thai war the gude wychtis that wynnit in the Court of Elfame,112 quha come thair to desyre hir to go with thame; and, forder, Thom desyrit hir to do the sam; quha ansuerit, “Sche saw na proffeit to gang thai kynd of gaittis, unles sche kend quhairfor!” Thom said, “Seis thow nocht me, baith meit-worth, claith-worth, and gude eneugh lyke in personn; and he suld make hir far better nor euer sche was?” Sche ansuerit, “That sche duelt with hir awin husband and bairnis, and culd nocht leif thame.” And swa Thom began to be verrie crabit with hir, and said, “Gif swo sche thocht, sche wald get lytill gude of him.”
‘(7) Interrogat. Gif sche had socht ony thing at Thom, to help hir self, or ony uther with? Ansuerit, That quhen sundrie personnes cam to hir to seik help for thair beist, their kow, or yow,113 or for ane barne that was tane away with ane evill blast of wind, or elf-grippit, she gait114 and sperit at Thom, Quhat mycht help thame? And Thom wald pull ane herb, and gif hir out of his awin hand; and baid hir scheir115 the samin with onye uthir kynd of herbis, and oppin the beistis mouth, and put thame in, and the beist wald mend.’
Altogether, she seems to have been a kindly-disposed and beneficent witch; but that did not save her from the sentence—‘Convict and Brynt.’
The annals of Scotch witchcraft are tame until we come to the case of Katherine Ross, Lady Foulis, July 22, 1590, who had enough to answer for, as she was accused of witchcraft, incantation, sorcery, and poisoning, her object being to poison her stepson, Robert Munro, then Lord Foulis, and Margery Campbell, wife to George Ross, Lord of Balnagowan. Several of her confederates had been tried and burnt, confessing the plot, before Lady Foulis’s trial; but she had great interest, and both she and her stepson Hector Munro were acquitted. Her accusation is very long, so that I must leave all mention of the poisoning, and only take a portion of that relating to the witchcraft:
‘Thou art now accusit, for the making of twa pictouris of clay, in cumpany with the said Cristiane Roiss and Marionne Neyne McAllester, alias Loskie Loucart, in the said Cristian Roissis westir chalmer in Canorth; the ane, maid for the distructioune and consumptioune of the young Laird of Fowlis, and the uthir for the young Ladie Balnagoune; to the effect that the are thairof sould be putt at the Brigend of Fowles, and the uther at Ardmoir, for distructioun of the saidis young Laird and Lady: And this sould haif bene performit at Allhallow-mes, in the year of God ImVclxxvij yeiris: Quhilkis twa pictouris, being sett on the north syd of the Chalmer, the said Loskie Loucart tuik twa elf arrow heides, and delyuerit ane to you Katherene, and the uther, the said Cristian Rois Malcumsone held in her awin hand; and thow schott twa schottis with the said arrow held, att the said Lady Balnagowne, and Loskie Loucart schott thrie schottis at the said young Laird of Fowlis. In the meanetyme, baith the pictouris brak, and thou commandit Loskie Loucart to mak of new uthir twa pictouris thereaftir, for the said personnes: quhilk the said Loskie Loucart tuik upon hand to do.... Thou art now accusit, for assisting the said Thomas, Cristaine Malcomsone and Marionne Nieyn McAllaster, upoun the secund day of Julij, anno threscoir sevintene yeiris, for making of ane pictur of butter to the said young Robert Munro, Laird of Fowlis, in the said house of Caynort, be the devyse and consultatioune of the said Donald and Williame McGilleuerie, and the said pictur of buttir, aftir it wes maid, wes set at the wall-syd, in the vester chalmer of the said hous of Coynard, and wes schot at with ane elf-arrow-heid be the said Marionne Neyuen McAlester, alias Loske Loucart, aucht tymes; quhilk pictur scho mist, and haid hit no pairt thairof: And thow and Cristane Malcomsoune being present in the said chalmer, att the schotting of the said pictur, thinkand gane116 the pictur were hit, it wald be for the distructioune of the young Laird of Fowlis: Lykas,117 said Thomas was convict for the samin, and sufferit the deid.
‘Als. thow art accusit, for being in cumpanie with Cristaine Malcomsonne and Marionne Neyn McAllester, alias Loske Loucart, with the deuyse and consultatioune of Donald and William McGilliourois, made ane uther pictur of clay to the said Robert Munro, young Laird of Fowlis, in the said hous of Conord; and so it was maid upoune the morne, the vj day of Julij anno lxxvij yeiris; They sat the pictur at the wall-syd of the chalmer of the said hous, and wes schott be the said Loske Loucart, with the said elf-arrow, tuelf tymes, and mist the said pictur: And persauing that ye mist the samin efter euerie schott, and maid the said pictur diuerse and sindrie tymes, yit the samin tuk nocht effect to thair purpoise; thow and the said tua womene, thy collegis, being present for the tyme, and uising118 ane takin of the samin; the said Cristaine Ross Malcomsoune haid provydeit thre quarteris of fine linning claithe for the picturis, gif thay haid bene hit with the elf-arrow-heid, and the linning to be bound about the said picturis, and the picturis to haue bene erdit119 under the Brig end of the Stauk of Fowlis, fornent the get,’120 etc.
The Scotch stories of witchcraft are quite as many as the English, and the so-called witches executed are far more numerous; the last one being burnt, as I have said, in 1727. In June, 1736, the Acts anent witchcraft were repealed; but I much fear that there is still a hankering after belief in it in many parts of Scotland.
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.
North America has been colonized by the British long enough to have enjoyed the visitations of the Devil. And the present Americans, judging by the amount of literature written thereon,121 seem rather proud of his having dwelt among them; it gives an
