A Detection of Damnable Drifts
practised by three VVitches arraigned
at Chelmsford in Essex,
at the last Assizes there holden,
which were executed in April,
1579.
Set forth to discover the ambushments of Sathan,
whereby he would surprise us lulled in security,
and hardened with contempt of God's vengeance
threatened for our offences.
To the Reader.
ACCEPT this pamphlet,
- Christian Reader -
view and peruse it with discretion
and heedfulness.
No trifles are therein contained
worthy to be contained,
nor pernicious fantazies
deserving to be condemned,
But contrariwise,
in this pretty plot
may helpful herds of admonitions
for the unwary and careless,
and sweet flowers
to recreate the wearied senses
be gathered.
For on the other side
the clear sight may espy
the ambushments
which Sathan,
the Secret Workmaster of Wicked Drifts,
has placed in most parts of this realm,
either by crafty conveyances
to creep into the conceits of the simple,
or by apparant treachery
to undermine and spoil the states of such as God
permits him to have power over.
And on the other,
the eye that is wimpled
may hereby be advertised of the darkness
wherewith his understanding is overcast,
and putting off the veil of vanity,
may reclaim his conceit,
and esteem of the impiety
of the offenders and villainy of their acts
according to the word of God,
and weightiness of the case.
And if in time past
he has escaped their sorceries,
let him not the less fear the harms
that may hereafter ensue.
For the Devil
by the sufferance of Almighty God,
is as well able to plague the person,
that most presumes of safety,
as any have been
who in this treatise are mentioned.
Some with much ado
can be awaked out of their drowsy dreams,
though they be told
that their neighbours' house is on fire,
but when their own walls
are invaded with like flames,
they shall find
that it had been better
to have come an hour too soon
to quench those foreign fires,
than to have risen one minute too late
to extinguish the same,
creeping into their own chambers.
If, therefore,
thou be assured
that thy neighbour
either in body, family or goods,
is impaired by Damnable Witchcraft,
or perceives by information
or otherwise
ought of such devices
intended to be practised,
or likely presumption
of such Devilish deeds
contrived for charity
to thy Christian brother,
and tender regard of thine own state,
present or stop the mischief
by all possible means.
And for thine own part with prayer,
and assured faith in the merits of Christ Jesus,
shield thyself,
so shall neither the Devil nor his Angels
have power over thee or thine.
Farewell.
❡The Confession of Elizabeth Frances,
late of Hatfield in Essex.
IMPRIMIS,
the said Elizabeth Frances
confesses
that about Lent last
- as she now remembers -
she came to one Poole's wife,
her neighbour,
and required old yeast of her,
but being denied the same,
she departed towards
one goodwife Osborne's house,
a neighbour dwelling thereby,
of whom she had yeast,
and in her way going towards
the said Goodwife Osborne's house,
she cursed Poole's wife,
and had a mischief
to light upon her,
for that she would give her no yeast.
Whereupon suddenly,
in the way she heard a great noise,
and presently there appeared unto her
a Spirit of a white colour
in seeming like to a little rugged Dogge,
standing
near her
upon
the ground,
who
asked her
whither
she went?
she answered,
for such things
as she wanted,
and
she told him
there
with that
she could get no yeast
of Poole's wife,
and therefore
wished
the same Spirit
to go to her
and plague her,
which
the Spirit
promised to do,
but
first he had her
give him somewhat,
then she having in her hand
a crust of white bread,
did bite a piece thereof
and threw it upon the ground,
which she thinks he took up,
and so went his way,
but before he departed from her,
she willed him
to plague Poole's wife
in the head,
and since then never saw him,
but has heard by her neighbours
that the same Poole's wife
was greivously pained in her head
not long after,
and remains very sore pained still,
for on Saturday last past
this examinate talked with her.
ITEM
this Elizabeth Frances
says further
that she knows
one Elizabeth Lowe
a widow
dwelling in the same parish of Hatfield
and so has done of long time,
of whom she heard
that about seven or eight years past,
she brought drink in a creuses,
and gave it to one Jhon Frances,
servant to Goodman Some
of the same parish.
Shortly after
the taking of which drink,
he sickened
and died.
ITEM
she further confesses
that she likewise knows
that the same Widow Lowe
was said to have bewitched
one Jane Roberts,
servant to old Higham,
in a piece of an apple
which she gave her,
upon the eating whereof
she presently sickened,
and not long after died.
ITEM
she also confesses
that she knows
one Mother Osborne,
a widow
in the same town,
to be a witch,
and that she has a mark
in the end of one of her fingers
like a pit,
and another mark
upon the outside of her right leg,
which she thinks to be plucked out
by her Spirit.
And that
one Mother Waterhouse,
her own sister
- long since executed
for witchcraft -
had the self-same marks,
which she terms nips,
and she says
that this Mother Osborne
lying lame
and complaining
of her sore leg,
she then said
Elizabeth Frances
came unto her,
and required to see her leg,
which being showed unto her,
she the said Elizabeth had to put it
into the bed again,
saying that she herself knew
that the same came
by want of well serving God.
And thus much
for Elizabeth Frances.
❡The Evidence against Elaine Smith
of Maldon.
THERE WAS
one Jhon Chandler
dwelling in Maldon,
whose wife
named Alice Chandler,
was mother unto
this Elaine Smith,
and for witchcraft
was executed long before,
afrer whose execution
he went unto his daughter-in-law,
Elaine Smith,
and demanded certain money of her,
which she had received of her mother,
his wife,
by means of which money
they fell out,
and in sallying out
the said Elaine
in great rage
said unto him
that it had been better for him
he had never fallen out with her,
and so it came to pass.
For the same
Jhon Chandler
confessed before his death,
that after the same hour
that she had said so unto him,
he never ate any meat
that digested in him,
but ever it came up again
as soon as it was done,
by which means
he consumed and wasted away
to his death.
THE SON
of the fore said Elaine Smith,
of the age of thirteen years,
or thereabouts,
came to the house
of one Jhon Estwood
of Maldon,
for to beg an alms,
who chide the boy
away from his house,
whereupon
he went home and told his mother,
and within a while after
the said Estwood
was taken with very great pain in his body,
and the smae night following,
as he sat by the fire
with one of his neighbours,
to their thinking
they did see
a rat
run
by
the chimney,
and presently
it did fall down again
in the likeness
of a toad,
and taking it up
with the tongs,
they thrust it into the fire,
and so held it in forcibly,
it made the fire
burn as blue as azure,
and the fire was almost out,
and at the burning thereof,
the said Elaine Smith
was in great pain
and out of quiet,
whereupon
dissemblingly
she came to the house
of the said Jhon Estwood,
and asked how all that were there did,
and
he said
well,
I thank God,
and
she said
I thought you had not been well.
and therefore
I came to see how you did,
and so went her way.
ALSO
it was avouched,
and by this prisoner confessed
that whereas her daughter,
and the daughter of one Widow Webbe
of Maldon aforesaid,
did fall out and fight,
the same Elaine Smith
offended thereat,
meeting Goodwife Webbe's daughter
the next day,
gave her a blow on the face,
whereupon
so soon as the child came home,
she sickened,
and languished two days,
cried continually,
away with the witch!
and so died.
And in the morning immediately after
the death of the same child,
she said
Goodwife Webbe
espied
- as she thought -
a thing
like to a black dogge
go out at her door,
and presently at the sight thereof,
she fell distraught of her wits.
BESIDES
the son of this Mother Smith
confessed
that his mother did keep
three Spirits,
whereof the one
called by her Great Dick,
was enclosed
in a wicker bottle,
the second
named Little Dick,
was put
into a leather bottle,
and the third
termed Willet,
she kept in a wool pack.
And thereupon
the house was commanded
to be searched.
The bottle and pack were found,
but the Sirits were vanished away.
❡The Effect of the Evidence
against Mother Staunton,
late of Wimbish in Essex,
who was arraigned,
but not executed,
for that no manslaughter,
a murder ,
was objected against her.
IMPRIMIS
this Mother Staunton,
late of the Parish of Wimbish
in Essex,
came to the house
of one Thomas Pratt
of Brook Walden,
thou Farrour of Littlebury
being present,
and one Thomas Swallow,
and the said Mother Staunton,
being demanded by one of them
how she did,
she answered
that a knave had beaten her,
saying she was a witch,
then said he again,
In good faith,
Mother Staunton,
I think you be no witch!
No, Master,
quod she,
I am none indeed,
although I can tell
what belongs to that practice.
Of which words,
the Goodman of the house
took witness of the aforenamed parties,
and delivered a bill subscribed
with their hands thereof
to Master George Nichols.
ITEM
the said Mother Staunton
came to his house another time,
and after certain words of anger
between him and her,
he raked her face with a needle.
What!
quoth she,
have you a flea there?
And the next night after,
the said Pratt
was so grievously taken
with torment of his limbs,
that he never thought to have lived
one hour longer,
which also was subscribed and sent.
ITEM
she came the third time by his door
with grains,
and he demanding a few of her,
she asked what he would do with them.
I will give them,
said he,
to my chickens,
and snatching a handful from her,
did so.
But after they had tasted them,
three or four dozen of them died,
and only one chicken escaped
of them all.
ITEM
she came on a time
to the house of one Richard Saunder
of Brook Walden,
and being denied yeast,
which she required of his wife,
she went her way murmuring,
as offended with her answer,
and after her departure,
her young child in the cradle
was taken vehemently sick
in a marvelous strange manner,
whereupon
the mother of the child
took it up in her arms
to comfort it,
which being done,
the cradle
rocked
of itself
five
or seven
times
in presence
of one of the Earl of Surrey's gentlemen,
who seeing it,
stabbed his dagger
three or four times
into the cradle
ere it stayed,
merrily jesting
and saying
that he would kill the Devil,
if he would be ricked there.
ITEM
the said Mother Staunton
came on a time to the house of one Robert Petty
of Brook Walden,
and being denied by his wife
divers things which she demanded at once,
and also charged with the stealing of a knife from thence,
she went her way in great anger,
and presently after her dparture,
the little child of the said Petty
fell so strangely sick
as for the space of a week,
as nobody thought it would live.
ITEM
the said Staunton's wife
came also to one William Corner's house
of Brook Walden
upon a Friday,
as she had done often
in times past,
and being denied of certain things
which she craved,
as a piece of leather &c.
she asked the Goodwife
how many children she had,
who answered, One.
Which child
being then in perfect health,
was presently taken
with such a sweat and coldness of body,
and fell into such shrieking and staring,
wringing and writhing of the body,
to and fro,
that all that saw it
were doubtful of the life of it.
ITEM
she came
on a time
to the house of Robert Cornell
of Suersam,
and craved a bottle of milk of his wife,
but being denied it,
she departed for a little while,
leaving her own bottle behind her,
and took another with her
that belonged to the aforesaid Cornell.
After three days,
she came again,
and requested her own bottle,
and restored the other,
craving milk as before.
The wife of the house
always suspecting her to be a witch,
denied her request,
and barred the doors against her,
whereupon,
she sat down upon her heels
before the door,
and made a circle upon the ground
with a knife.
After that,
she digged it full of holes
within the compass,
in the sight of the said wife,
her man,
and her maid,
who demanding why she did so,
she made answer
that she made a shitting house for her
after that sort,
and so departed.
The next day,
the wife coming out
at the same door,
was taken sick,
and began to swell
from time to time,
as if she had been with child,
by which swelling
she came so great in body
as she feared she should burst,
and to this day
is not restored to health.
ITEM
she came often
to the house of one Jhon Hopwood
of Walden,
and had continually her requests.
At the last,
being denied of a leather thong,
she went her way offended,
and the same night
his gelding in the stable,
being the day before in very good case,
died suddenly,
and afterward being burdened withal,
she never denied it.
ITEM
she coming
to the house of Jhon Cornell the Younger
of Wimbish,
and being denied her demand,
she took offence,
and immediately after,
his cattle instead of sweet milk
yielded gore,
stinking blood,
and one of his kine
fell in such miserable plight,
that for a certain space
he could by no means recover her.
ITEM
she came
on a time
to the Vicar's house
at Wimbish,
and being denied her errand
by his wife
- he being
as then from home -
his little son
in the nurse's lap
was taken with such vehement sickness,
that the beholders supposed no less,
but it would straight have died,
the said Mother Staunton
sitting and having touched the child
before it grew sick.
But within one hour
the Vicar came home,
the child recovered perfectly,
and played as before.
ITEM
also she came
on a time
to the house of one Robert Lathbury
of the same town,
who disliking her dealing,
sent her home empty.
But presently after her departure,
his hogs fell sick and died,
to the numer of twenty,
and in the end,
he burned one,
whereby,
as he thinks,
he saved the rest.
He also had a cow
strangely cast into a narrow gripe,
and being holpen out
in the presence of Master Henry Mordaunt,
notwithstanding the diligent care
that was taken of her,
she was in few days
three timeslike to be lost
in the mite.
And thus much for Mother Staunton.
❡The Effect of the Evidence
given in against
Mother Nokes of Lamberd Parish in Essex.
A CERTAIN
servant to Thomas Spicer of Lamberd End
in Essex,
yeoman,
sporting and passing away the time in play
with a great number of youth,
chanced to snatch a pair of gloves out of the pocket
of this Mother Nokes' daughter,
being a young woman of the age xxviij years,
which he protests to have done in jest.
Her mother perceiving it,
demanded the gloves of him,
but he giving no great ear to her words
departed towards the fields
to fetch home certain cattle.
Immediately upon his departure,
quoth the same Mother Nokes
to her daughter,
Let him alone,
I will bounce him well enough,
at what time
he being suddenly taken,
and lost of his limbs,
fell down.
There was a boy then in his company,
by whom he sent the gloves to Mother Nokes.
Notwithstanding,
his Master was fain to cause him to be set home
in a wheel barrow,
and to be laid into a bed,
where his legs across
he lay bedrid eight days,
and has not attained
to the right use of his limbs.
Further,
it was avouched
that Mother Nokes had said
that her husband lay with one Taylor's wife
of Lamberd End,
and with reporachful words reviled her,
saying at last,
Thou hast a nurse child,
but thou shall not keep it long,
and presently thereupon
the child died.
Another affirmed
that when he had reproved
the said Taylor's wife and Mother Nokes
as they were at church,
and willed them to agree better,
the same Mother Nokes
in a fume answered
that she cared for none of them all
as long as Tom held on her side,
meaning her fiend.
The same man
having a servant of his at plough,
this Mother Nokes going by,
asked the fellow a question,
but getting no answer of him,
she went her way.
Forthwith,
one of his horses fell down.
At his coming home to dinner,
he told his Master
how the same horse
was swollen about the head.
His Master,
at first supposing
that it came by a stripe,
was greatly offened at the ploughman,
but afterwards understanding
of Mother Nokes' going by,
and the circumstance aforementioned,
went to the said Mother Nokes,
and chide and threatened
to have her to here answer
howbeit the horse died.
FINIS.
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