He took her by the hand, and leading her about the room said, 'I take thee, Rebecca, to be my wife': Chelmsford (1645).
A True Relation
of the Arraignment
of Thirty VVitches
at Chelmsford in Essex,
before Judge Conyers,
fourteen whereof were hanged
on Friday last,
July 25. 1645.
There being at this time
a hundred more in several prisons
in Suffolk and Essex.
Setting forth the Confessions
of the principal of them.
Also showing how the Devil
had carnal copulation with Rebecca West,
a young maid,
daughter to one Anne West.
And how they bewitched
men, women, children , and cattle to death,
with many other strange things,
the like was never heard of before.
The names of those that were executed.
Mrs. Wayt, Jane Brown. Jane Brigs.
a Minister's wife. Mother Foreman. Mother Miller.
Anne West. Rachel Flower. Mother Clarke.
Mother Benefield. Mary Greene. Frances Jones.
Mother Goodwin. Mary Foster. Mary Rhode.
Printed at London by I. H.
❡ The Confession of Rebecca West,
daughter to Anne West of Colchester in Essex.
THE SAID Rebecca confessed at the bar,
that about Shrovetide last
her mother bade her make haste of her work,
for she must go along with her before Sundown;
and as they were going over the fields,
her mother gave her a great charge
never to speak of what she should hear or see,
and she faithfully promised to keep council.
When she came to the House of Meeting,
there were five Witches more.
The two chief were Mother Benefield and Mother Goodwin.
This Mother Goodwin pulled out a book,
and after their manner,
they prayed out of it,
and presently their several Imps appeared
in several shapes,
six whereof appeared
in the shapes of kittens about a week old
in Mother Benefield's lap,
and after she had killed them,
she said unto Rebecca
that those were all her children
which she had by as handsome a man
as any was in England.
Then they commanded their Spirits
come to kill such a man's horse,
some a cow, some a child, &c.
Then Mother Benefield called to Mother West,
and asked if she were sure
that her daughter Rebecca would keep counsel,
or else she might seek all their blood.
She answered,
Rebecca had promised.
They all then replied,
if she ever did speak of it,
that she should suffer
more tortures and pains on Earth,
than the pains of Hell.
Presently,
Mother Benefield said,
for more certainty,
let her take our Covenant and Oath,
as we have already done.
Then, they taught her what to say,
the sum whereof
was to deny God and her Savious Jesus Christ,
to renounce all promises of his blessings,
and the merits of his bitter death and passion;
to believe as they did,
and to serve and obey as they did.
And the said Rebecca confessed,
that so soon as she had done thus,
the Devil in the shape of a little black dog
leaped into her lap
and kissed her three times,
but she felt them very cold.
Shortly after,
when she was going to bed,
the Devil appeared unto her again
in the shape of a handsome young man.
saying that he came to marry her.
The manner was thus.
He took her by the hand,
and leading her about the room,
said,
I take thee, Rebecca, to be my wife,
and do promise to be thy loving husband
till death,
defending thee from all harms.
Then he told her
what she must say,
whereupon she took him by the hand
and said,
I, Rebecca,
take thee to be my husband,
and do promise to be an obedient wife
till death,
faithfully to perform and observe
all thy commands.
The first whereof
was that she should deny and renounce as aforesaid.
And being asked by the Judge
whether she ever had carnal copulation
with the Devil,
she confessed
that she had.
And being asked divers questions
by a gentleman
that did speak several times
before and afterward
- giving her godly
and comfortable instructions -
she affirmed
that so soon as one of the said Witches
was in prison,
which accordingly she did,
whereupon the rest were apprehended
and sent unto the Gaol.
She further affirmed
that when she was going to the Grand Inquest
with one Mother Miller
- indicted for a Witch -
she told Mother Miller
that she would confess nothing,
if they pulled her to pieces with pincers.
And being asked the reason
by the gentleman,
she said she found herself
in such extremity of torture and amazement,
that she would not endure it again for the World.
And when she looked upon the ground,
she saw herself encompassed in flames of fire.
And presently, the Grand Inquest called for her,
where they admit but one at a time,
and so soon as was thus separated
from this Mother Miller,
the tortures and the flames began to cease.
Whereupon,
she then confessed all she ever knew,
and said that so soon as her confession
was fully ended,
she found her conscience so satisifed
and disburdened of all her tortures,
that she though herself
the happiest creature in the World.
Withal confirming
that the Devil can take any shape,
and speak plain English.
ANOTHER VVITCH
sent her maid to a neighnour's house
for a handful of herbs,
who meeting with her sweetheart,
stayed an hour by the way,
saying she should be half-hanged
for staying so long.
Whereupon he told her
that in such a place in their own garden,
there grew the same herbs.
So it was,
but going over the pale
and her journey was ended;
which she did,
and pleased her Mistress well
for her long stay,
by bringing those herbs.
At night,
her Mistress bade her go up to bed first,
which made her mistrust something.
Whereupon,
she peeked between the boards,
and observed her Mistress
to cut the herbs in small pieces,
strewing them about the room.
The next morning,
her husband rising betimes
found twelve or fourteen great hogs,
being all his own,
dead in the yard,
and so for his sheep,
and all his other cattle;
and telling his wife
how they were undone,
she replied,
Hath the Queen served me thus?
she shall suffer for it.
Then he examined the maid,
and both gave evidence.
This was at Ipswich in Suffolk.
❡ The Evidence of Mr. Long,
a Minister near Colchester in Essex.
FIRST,
that as he was riding on the way,
the shape of a red dogge passed by him,
at which his blood did rise;
and being passed a small distance,
turned his face,
his eyes appearing not like the eyes of any creature,
his horse presently started,
and never left kicking and flinging
until he threw him down,
but had no hurt.
An old woman in the town
called Goodwife Clarke,
being mistrusted and examined before Sir Thomas Boes,
confessed that she sent forth this Spirit,
with command to make the horse throw Mr. Long,
and break his neck;
and being demanded by Sir Thomas Boes
what was the reason the Spirit did not perform her commands,
she answered,
because the Power of God
was above
the Power of the Devil.
But the horse
did pine to death
for his punishment.
❡ The Evidence of the said Mr. Long.
HE SAID,
that one morning,
as he was walking abroad,
a poor woman being of his own parish
spake kindly to him,
but his answer was
that he had a long time a good opinion of her,
although he ever accounted her sister
an ill-liver,
and little better than those
that are accounted Witches;
but now he strongly believed
that her sister had made her as bad as herself.
This much troubled the old woman,
and she would not leave following and persuading
of the said Mr. Long
to be of his former good opinion,
professing her own innocence
in any ill of such nature,
or any compact with such Evil Spirit
whatsoever;
but finding him not satisifed with anything she had said,
she assured him she would give him an evidence undeniable,
whereupon she lifted both her hands towards Heaven,
calling God to witness,
and desired that he would show a present judgement upon her,
if she were not innocent and clear.
Now,
Mr. Long affirmed upon his oath
that these words were no sooner out of her mouth,
but she was struck to the ground upon her back,
before his face,
where she did lie in a most lamentable condition,
trembling and crying;
he took her up,
and carried her into an alehouse hard by,
where she did lie in this extremity two days,
and that so soon as she came to herself,
he gave her the best comfort he could,
showing how merciful God had been to her
in sparing her life,
giving her time of repentence,
the first step whereof must be
her confession and contrition,
whereupon she confessed
that she had done much mischief,
and that she had compacted with the Devil,
that he usually sucked her
and appeared unto her in the shape of a squirrel.
These aforesaid VVitches have confessed
that they did raise the great winds in March last,
and caused a hoy to be cast away,
wherein were many passengers.
WHEN THESE VVITCHES
came first into the Gaol at Colchester,
the Gaoler lost his meat often,
and mistrusting that the Witches had got it,
upon a time bought a good shoulder of mutton,
and sai he would look to the dressing of it himself;
but when it was ready,
the Witches had got it,
and all the while the Witches were at supper with it,
the Gaoler instead of mutton was hogswash.
After this,
the Gaoler desirous to see more of their feets,
entreated some of them to show him
a little of their cunning,
thinking to make himself merry
for the loss of his meat;
whereupon,
one of the Witches bid him
go fetch her four pewter dishes
wherein never water came.
Straightaway went the Gaoler to a Pewterer,
and got four new dishes,
and afore he brought them to the Witch.
He wet one of them,
contrary to the Witch's direction;
nevertheless,
as soon as the Witch had them,
she put her hands and feet into the four dishes,
and upon an instant was lifted into the air
with three dishes that were dry,
the fourth falling off,
and by good chance was found in a meadow
about a half a mile off,
and brought back to prison.
FINIS.
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