THE DEVIL IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF THE ONLY KNOWN SPECIMEN OF THE DEVIL’S
WRITING.]
THE DEVIL IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
BY JOHN ASHTON
AUTHOR OF ‘SOCIAL ENGLAND UNDER THE REGENCY,’
‘SOCIAL LIFE IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE,’
‘VARIA,’ ETC.
‘Nam ut vere loquamur, superstitio fusa per gentes
oppressit omnium fere animos, atque hominum
imbecillitatem occupavit.’
CICERO--_De Divin._, Lib. ii. 72.
_WITH FORTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS_
WARD AND DOWNEY
_Limited_
12 YORK BUILDINGS, ADELPHI W.C.
1896.
[_All rights reserved._]
PREFACE
To my thinking, all modern English books on the Devil and his works are
unsatisfactory. They all run in the same groove, give the same cases of
witchcraft, and, moreover, not one of them is illustrated. I have
endeavoured to remedy this by localizing my facts, and by reproducing all
the engravings I could find suitable to my purpose.
I have also tried to give a succinct account of demonology and witchcraft
in England and America, by adducing authorities not usually given, and by
a painstaking research into old cases, carefully taking everything from
original sources, and bringing to light very many cases never before
republished.
For the benefit of students, I have given--as an Appendix--a list of the
books consulted in the preparation of this work, which, however, the
student must remember is not an exhaustive bibliography on the subject,
but only applies to this book, whose _raison d’être_ is its localization.
The frontispiece is supposed to be the only specimen of Satanic caligraphy
in existence, and is taken from the ‘Introductio in Chaldaicam Linguam,’
etc., by Albonesi (Pavia, 1532). The author says that by the conjuration
of Ludovico Spoletano the Devil was called up, and adjured to write a
legible and clear answer to a question asked him. Some invisible power
took the pen, which seemed suspended in the air, and rapidly wrote what is
facsimiled. The writing was given to Albonesi (who, however, confesses
that no one can decipher it), and his chief printer reproduced it very
accurately. I am told by experts that in some of the characters may be
found a trace of Amharic, a language spoken in its purity in the province
of Amhara (Ethiopia), and which, according to a legend, was the primeval
language spoken in Eden.
JOHN ASHTON.
CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Universal Belief in the Personality of the Devil, as
portrayed by the British Artist--Arguments in Favour of his
Personality--Ballad--‘Terrible and Seasonable Warning to
Young Men’ 1
CHAPTER II.
‘Strange and True News from Westmoreland’--‘The Politic
Wife’--‘How the Devill, though subtle, was guld by a
Scold’--‘The Devil’s Oak’--Raising the Devil--Arguments in
Favour of Devils--The Number of Devils 13
CHAPTER III.
‘The Just Devil of Woodstock’--Metrical Version--Presumed
Genuine History of ‘The Just Devil of Woodstock’ 28
CHAPTER IV.
‘The Dæmon of Tedworth’ 47
CHAPTER V.
‘The Dæmon of Burton’--‘Strange and Wonderful News from
Yowel, in Surrey’--The Story of Mrs. Jermin--A Case at
Welton--‘The Relation of James Sherring’ 60
CHAPTER VI.
A Demon in Gilbert Campbell’s Family--Case of Sir William
York--Case of Ian Smagge--Disturbances at Stockwell 72
CHAPTER VII.
Possession by, and casting out, Devils--The Church and
Exorcisms--Earlier Exorcists--‘The Strange and Grievous
Vexation by the Devil of 7 Persons in Lancashire’ 85
CHAPTER VIII.
James I. on Possession--The Vexation of Alexander Nyndge--
‘Wonderful News from Buckinghamshire’--Sale of a Devil 113
CHAPTER IX.
The Witch of Endor--The ‘Mulier Malefica’ of Berkeley--
Northern Witches 129
CHAPTER X.
The Legal Witch--James I. on Witches--Reginald Scot on
Witches--Addison on Witches 139
CHAPTER XI.
How a Witch was made--Her Compact with the Devil--Hell
Broth--Homage and Feasting--The Witches’ Sabbat 148
CHAPTER XII.
Familiar Spirits--Matthew Hopkins, the ‘Witch-finder’--
Prince Rupert’s dog Boy--Unguents used for transporting
Witches from Place to Place--Their Festivities at the
Sabbat 157
CHAPTER XIII.
Waxen Figures--Witches change into Animals--Witch
Marks--Testimony against Witches--Tests for, and
Examination of, Witches 175
CHAPTER XIV.
Legislation against Witches--Punishment--Last Executions
for Witchcraft--Inability to weep and sink--Modern Cases
of Witchcraft 191
CHAPTER XV.
Commencement of Witchcraft in England--Dame Eleanor
Cobham--Jane Shore--Lord Huntingford--Cases from the
Calendars of State Papers--Earliest Printed Case, that of
John Walsh--Elizabeth Stile--Three Witches tried at
Chelmsford--Witches of St. Osyth--Witches of
Warboys--Witches of Northamptonshire 199
CHAPTER XVI.
The Lancashire Witches--Janet Preston--Margaret and Philip
Flower--Anne Baker, Joane Willimot, and Ellen Greene--
Elizabeth Sawyer--Mary Smith--Joan Williford, Joan Cariden,
and Jane Hott 220
CHAPTER XVII.
Confessions of Witches executed in Essex--The Witches of
Huntingdon--‘Wonderful News from the North’--Trial of Six
Witches at Maidstone--Trial of Four Witches at Worcester--A
Lancashire Witch tried at Worcester--A Tewkesbury Witch 234
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Case of Vomiting Stones, etc., at Evesham--Anne
Bodenham--Julian Cox--Elizabeth Styles--Rose Cullender and
Amy Duny 246
CHAPTER XIX.
The Case of Mary Hill of Beckington--The Confession of
Alice Huson--Florence Newton of Youghal--Temperance Lloyd
(or Floyd), Mary Trembles, and Susannah Edwards 260
CHAPTER XX.
Elizabeth Horner--Pardons for Witchcraft--A Witch taken in
London--Sarah Mordike--An Impostor convicted--Case of Jane
Wenham--The Last Witch hanged in England 273
CHAPTER XXI.
Scotch Witches--Bessie Dunlop--Alesoun Peirson--Dr. John
Fian--The Devil a Preacher--Examination of Agnes
Sampson--Confession of Issobel Gowdie 287
CHAPTER XXII.
Early Witchcraft in Scotland--Lady Glamys--Bessie
Dunlop--Lady Foulis--Numerous Cases 301
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 311
CHAPTER XXIV.
Cotton and Increase Mather--The Case of Goodwin’s
Daughter--That of Mr. Philip Smith--The Story of the Salem
Witchcrafts--List of Victims--Release of Suspects--Reversal
of Attainder, and Compensation 326
APPENDIX 340
[Illustration]
THE DEVIL IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
CHAPTER I.
Universal Belief in the Personality of the Devil, as portrayed by the
British Artist--Arguments in Favour of his
Personality--Ballad--‘Terrible and Seasonable Warning to Young Men.’
The belief in a good and evil influence has existed from the earliest
ages, in every nation having a religion. The Egyptians had their _Typho_,
the Assyrians their _Ti-a-mat_ (the Serpent), the Hebrews their
_Beelzebub_, or _Prince of Flies_,[1] and the Scandinavians their _Loki_.
And many religions teach that the evil influence has a stronger hold upon
mankind than the good influence--so great, indeed, as to nullify it in a
large degree. Christianity especially teaches this: ‘Enter ye by the
narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many be they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the
gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that
find it.’ This doctrine of the great power of the Devil, or evil
influence over man, is preached from every pulpit, under every form of
Christianity, throughout the world; and although at the present time it is
only confined to the greater _moral_ power of the Devil over man, at an
earlier period it was an article of belief that he was able to exercise a
greater _physical_ power.
This was coincident with a belief in his personality; and it is only in
modern times that that personality takes an alluring form. In the olden
days the Devil was always depicted as ugly and repulsive as the artist
could represent him, and yet he could have learned a great deal from the
modern Chinese and Japanese. The ‘great God Pan,’ although he was dead,
was resuscitated in order to furnish a type for ‘the Prince of Darkness’;
and, accordingly, he was portrayed with horns, tail and cloven feet,
making him an animal, according to a _mot_ attributed to Cuvier,
‘graminivorous, and decidedly ruminant’; while, to complete his classical
_ensemble_, he was invested with the forked sceptre of Pluto, only
supplemented with another tine.
[Illustration]
The British artist thus depicted him, but occasionally he drew him as a
‘fearful wild fowl’ of a totally different type--yet always as hideous as
his imagination could conceive, or his pencil execute.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
That the Devil could show himself to man, in a tangible form, was, for
many centuries, an article of firm belief, but, when it came to be argued
out logically, it was difficult of proof. The only evidence that could be
adduced which could carry conviction was from the Bible, which, of course,
was taken as the _ipsissima verba_ of God, and, on that, the old writers
based all their proof. One of the most lucid of them, Gyfford or Gifford,
writing in the sixteenth century, evidently feels this difficulty. Trying
to prove that ‘Diuels can appeare in a bodily shape, and use speeche and
conference with men,’ he says:[2]
‘Our Saviour Christ saith that a spirite hath neither flesh nor bones. A
spirite hath a substance, but yet such as is invisible, whereupon it must
needes be graunted, that Diuels in their owne nature have no bodilye
shape, nor visible forme; moreover, it is against the truth, and against
pietie to believe that Diuels can create, or make bodies, or change one
body into another, for those things are proper to God. It followeth,
therefore, that whensoever they appeare in a visible forme, it is no more
but an apparition and counterfeit shewe of a bodie, unless a body be at
any time lent them.’
And further on he thus speaks of the incarnation of Satan, as recorded in
the Bible.
‘The Deuill did speake unto _Eua_ out of the Serpent. A thing manifest to
proue that Deuils can speake, unlesse we imagine that age hath made him
forgetfull and tongue tyde. Some holde that there was no visible Serpent
before _Eua_, but an invisible thing described after that manner, that we
might be capable thereof.... But to let those goe, this is the chiefe and
principall, for the matter which I have undertaken, to shewe euen by the
very storye that there was not onely the Deuill, but, also, a very
corporall beaste. If this question bee demaunded did _Eua_ knowe there was
anye Deuill, or any wicked reprobate Angels. What man of knowledge will
say that she did? She did not as yet knowe good and euill. She knewe not
the authour of euill. When the Lorde sayde unto hir, What is this which
thou hast done? she answereth by and by, The serpent deceiued me. Shee saw
there was one which had deceiued hir, shee nameth him a serpent; whence
had she that name for the deuill whome shee had not imagined to bee? It is
plaine that she speaketh of a thing which had, before this, receiued his
name.
‘It is yet more euident by that she sayth, yonder serpent, or that
serpent, for she noteth him out as pointing to a thing visible: for she
useth the demonstratiue particle _He_ in the Hebrew language, which
seuereth him from other. Anie man of a sound mind may easilie see that
_Eua_ nameth and pointeth at a visible beast, which was nombred among the
beastes of the fielde.’
The Devil seems, with the exception of his entering into persons, not to
have used his power of appearing corporeally until people became too holy
for him to put up with, and many are the records in the Lives of the
Saints of his appearance to these detestably good people--St. Anthony, to
wit. Of course he always came off baffled and beaten, and, in the case of
St. Dunstan, suffered acute bodily pain, his nose being pinched by the
goldsmith-saint’s red-hot tongs. Yet even that did not deter him from
again becoming visible, until, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
of our era, he became absolutely familiar on this earth.
But, according to all the records that we possess, his mission no longer
was to seduce the saints from their allegiance, and, having become more
democratic, he mixed familiarly with the people, under different guises.
Of course, his object was to secure the reversion of their souls at their
decease, his bait usually being the promise of wealth in this life, or the
gratification of some passion.
He found many victims, but yet he met with failures--two of which are
recorded here.
A NEW BALLAD.
SHEWING THE GREAT MISERY SUSTAINED BY A POORE MAN IN ESSEX, HIS WIFE AND
CHILDREN, WITH OTHER STRANGE THINGS DONE BY THE DEVILL.
[Illustration]
A poore Essex man
that was in great distresse,
Most bitterly made his complaint,
in griefe and heavinesse:
Through scarcity and want,
he was oppressed sore,
He could not find his children bread,
he was so extreme poore.
His silly Wife, God wot,
being lately brought to bed,
With her poore Infants at her brest
had neither drinke nor bread.
A wofull lying in
was this, the Lord doth know,
God keep all honest vertuous wives
from feeling of such woe.
My Husband deare, she said,
for want of food I die,
Some succour doe for me provide,
to ease my misery.
The man with many a teare,
most pittiously replyde,
We have no means to buy us bread;
with that, the Children cry’d.
They came about him round,
upon his coat they hung:
And pittiously they made their mone,
their little hands they wrung.
Be still, my boyes, said he,
And I’le goe to the Wood,
And bring some Acornes for to rost,
and you shall have some food.
Forth went the Wofull Man,
a Cord he tooke with him,
Wherewith to bind the broken wood,
that he should homewards bring:
And by the way as he went,
met Farmers two or three,
Desiring them for Christ his sake,
to helpe his misery.
Oh lend to me (he said)
one loafe of Barley-bread,
One pint of milke for my poore wife,
in Child-bed almost dead:
Thinke on my extreme need,
to lend me have no doubt,
I have no money for to pay,
but I will worke it out.
But they in churlish sort,
did one by one reply,
We have already lent you more
than we can well come by.
This answere strooke his heart
as cold as any stone;
Unto the Wood from thence he went,
with many a grievous groane.
Where at the length (behold)
a tall man did him meet
And cole-black were his garments all
from head unto his feet.
Thou wretched man, said he,
why dost thou weep so sore?
What is the cause thou mak’st this mone,
tell me, and sigh no more.
Alas, good Sir (he said)
the lacke of some reliefe,
For my poore wife and children small,
’tis cause of all my griefe.
They lie all like to starve,
for want of bread (saith he);
Good Sir, vouchsafe therefore to give
one peny unto me.
Hereby this wretched man
committed wondrous evill,
He beg’d an almes, and did not know
he ask’t it of the Devill.
But straight the hellish Fiend,
to him reply’d againe,
An odious sinner art thou then
that dost such want sustaine.
Alack (the poore man said)
this thing for truth I know,
That _Job_ was just, yet never Man
endured greater woe.
The godly oft doe want,
and need doth pinch them sore,
Yet God will not forsake them quite,
but doth their states restore.
If thou so faithfull bee,
why goest thou begging then?
Thou shalt be fed as _Daniel_ was
within the Lyon’s den.
If thus thou doe abide,
the Ravens shall bring thee food,
As they unto _Elias_ did
that wandred in the Wood.
Mocke not a wofull man,
good Sir, the poore man said,
Redouble not my sorrows so,
that are upon me laid.
But, rather, doe extend
unto my need, and give
One peny for to buy some bread,
my Children poore may live.
With that he opened straight
the fairest purse in sight
That ever mortal eye beheld,
fild up with crownes full bright.
Unto the wofull man
the same he wholly gave,
Who very earnestly did pray
that Christ his life might save.
Well, (quoth the damn’d Spirit)
goe, ease thy Children’s sorrow,
And, if thou wantest anything,
come, meet me here to-morrow.
Then home the poore man went,
with cheerfull heart and mind,
And comforted his woful wife
with words that were most kind.
Take Comfort, Wife, he said,
I have a purse of Gold,
Now given by a Gentleman,
most faire for to behold.
And thinking for to pull
his purse from bosome out,
He found nothing but Oken leaves,
bound in a filthy Clout.
Which, when he did behold,
with sorrowe pale and wan,
In desperate sort to seeke the purse,
unto the Wood he ran,
Supposing in his mind,
that he had lost it there;
He could not tell then what to think,
he was ’twixt hope and feare.
He had no sooner come
into the shady Grove,
The Devil met with him againe,
as he in fancy strove.
What seek’st thou here? he said,
the purse (quoth he) you gave,
Thus Fortune she hath crossed me,
and then the Devill said
Where didst thou put the Purse?
tell me, and do not lye,
Within my bosome, said the man,
where no man did come nigh.
Looke there againe, (quoth he)
then said the Man, I shall,
And found his bosome full of Toads,
as thicke as they could crawle.
The poore man at this sight,
to speak had not the power,
See (q’d the Devill) vengeance doth
pursue thee every hour.
Goe, cursed wretch, (quoth he)
and rid away thy life,
But murther first thy children young,
and miserable Wife.
The poore man, raging mad,
ran home incontinent,
Intending for to kill them all,
but God did him prevent.
For why, the chiefest man
that in the Parish dwelt,
With meat and money thither came,
which liberally he dealt.
Who, seeing the poore man
come home in such a rage,
Was faine to bind him in his bed,
his fury to asswage.
Where long he lay full sicke,
still crying for his Gold,
But, being well, this whole discourse
he to his neighbours told.
From all temptations,
Lord, keep both Great and Small,
And let no man, O heavenly God,
for want of succour fall.
But put their speciall trust
in God for evermore,
Who will, no doubt, from misery
each faithfull man restore.
‘A TERRIBLE AND SEASONABLE WARNING TO YOUNG MEN.
[Illustration]
‘Being a very particular and True Relation of one _Abraham Joiner_, a
young man about 17 or 18 Years of Age, living in _Shakesby’s_ Walks in
_Shadwell_, being a Ballast Man by Profession, who, on _Saturday_ Night
last, pick’d up a leud Woman, and spent what money he had about him in
Treating her, saying afterwards, if she wou’d have any more he must go to
the Devil for it, and, slipping out of her Company, he went to the _Cock_
and _Lyon_ in _King Street_, the Devil appear’d to him, and gave him a
Pistole, telling him _he shou’d never want for Money_, appointing to meet
him the next Night, at the _World’s End_ at _Stepney_; Also how his
Brother persuaded him to throw the Money away, which he did; but was
suddenly taken in a very strange manner, so that they were fain to send
for the Reverend Mr. Constable and other Ministers to pray with him; he
appearing now to be very Penitent; with an Account of the Prayers and
Expressions he makes use of under his Affliction, and the Prayers that
were made for him, to free him from this violent Temptation.
‘The Truth of which is sufficiently attested in the Neighbourhood, he
lying now at his Mother’s house,’ etc.
Stepney seems to have been a favourite haunt of the Devil, for there is a
tract published at Edinburgh, 1721, entitled ‘A timely Warning to Rash and
Disobedient Children. Being a strange and wonderful Relation of a young
Gentleman in the Parish of _Stepheny_, in the Suburbs of _London_, that
sold himself to the Devil for 12 Years, to have the Power of being
revenged on his Father and Mother, and how, his Time being expired, he lay
in a sad and deplorable Condition, to the Amazement of all Spectators.’