The Witch of Endor--The ‘Mulier Malefica’ of Berkeley--Northern
Witches.
Of all the extraordinary popular delusions that have existed, the wave of
belief in witchcraft which flowed over this land in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries is one of the most remarkable. The belief that some
people have the power of exercising supernatural control over their
fellow-creatures is not confined to any land, and dates from remote
antiquity. But it is with the witches of Britain, and those of the Britons
who emigrated from their country, that it is my province to deal.
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The earliest English pictorial representation of a witch that I know of is
in the Harleian MSS., 1776 (94, b), where the witch of Endor is
represented as showing the ghost of Samuel to Saul. But she was a
Pythoness, and did not at all come up to our idea of a witch. Nor can we
exactly class in the same category the ‘Mulier Malefica’ of Berkeley, who
is supposed to have been exhumed by the Devil about A.D. 852. She has been
immortalized by William of Malmesbury, who says he had the story from an
eye-witness, by Matthew of Westminster, by Schedel in the Nuremberg
Chronicle, from whom this illustration is taken, and a short account of
her is given by Olaus Magnus in his ‘Historia de Gentibus
Septentrionalibus’ (lib. iii., c. 21), when he treats of the punishment of
witches. Berkeley, however, in his hands becomes Bethelia. Southey also
wrote about her.
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THE OLD WOMAN OF BERKELEY.
A BALLAD, SHEWING HOW AN OLD WOMAN RODE DOUBLE, AND WHO RODE BEFORE HER.
William of Malmesbury thus gives the story: ‘(A.D. 1065) There resided at
Berkeley, a woman addicted to Witchcraft, as it afterwards appeared, and
skilled in ancient augury: she was excessively gluttonous, perfectly
lascivious, and setting no bounds to her debaucheries, as she was not old,
though fast declining in life. On a certain day, as she was regaling, a
jackdaw, which was a very great favourite, chattered a little more loudly
than usual. On hearing which, the woman’s knife fell from her hand, her
countenance grew pale, and, deeply groaning, “This day,” said she, “my
plough has completed its last furrow; to-day, I shall hear of, and suffer,
some dreadful calamity.”
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‘While yet speaking, the messenger of her misfortunes arrived: and, being
asked why he approached with so distressed an air, “I bring news,” said
he, “of the death of your son, and of the whole family, by a sudden
accident.” At this intelligence the woman, sorely afflicted, immediately
took to her bed, and, perceiving the disorder rapidly approaching her
vitals, she summoned her surviving children, a monk and a nun, by hasty
letters; and, when they arrived, with faltering voice, addressed them
thus: “Formerly, my children, I constantly administered to my wretched
circumstances by demoniacal arts: I have been the sink of every vice, the
teacher of every allurement: yet, while practising these crimes, I was
accustomed to soothe my hapless soul with the hope of your piety.
Despairing of myself, I rested my expectations on you: I advanced you as
my defenders against evil spirits, my safeguards against my strongest
foes. Now, since I have approached the end of my life, and shall have
those eager to punish, who lured me to sin, I entreat you, by your
mother’s breast, if you have any regard, any affection, at least to
endeavour to alleviate my torments; and, although you cannot revoke the
sentence already passed upon my soul, yet you may, perhaps, rescue my body
by these means.
‘“Sew up my Corpse in the skin of a stag; lay it on its back in a stone
Coffin; fasten down the lid with lead and iron; on this lay a stone, bound
round with three iron chains of enormous weight; let there be psalms sung
for fifty nights, and masses said for an equal number of days, to allay
the ferocious attacks of my adversaries. If I lie thus secure for three
nights; on the fourth day, bury your mother in the ground; although, I
fear, lest the earth, which has been so often burdened with my crimes,
should refuse to receive and cherish me in her bosom.”
‘They did their utmost to comply with her injunctions: but, alas! vain
were pious tears, vows, or entreaties; so great was the woman’s guilt, so
great the devil’s violence. For, on the two first nights, while the choir
of priests was singing psalms around the body, the devils, one by one,
with the utmost ease bursting open the door of the Church, though closed
with an immense bolt, broke asunder the two outer chains: the middle one,
being more laboriously wrought, remained entire. On the third night, about
cock-crow, the whole monastery seemed to be overthrown from its very
foundation, by the clamour of the approaching enemy.
‘One devil, more terrible in appearance than the rest, and of loftier
stature, broke the gates to shivers by the violence of his attack. The
priests grew motionless with fear, their hair stood on end, and they
became speechless. He proceeded, as it appeared, with haughty steps,
towards the Coffin; and, calling on the woman by name, commanded her to
rise. She, replying that she could not, on account of the chains: “You
shall be loosed,” said he, “and to your cost;” and, directly, he broke the
chain, which had mocked the ferocity of the others, with as little
exertion as though it had been made of flax. He also beat down the cover
of the Coffin with his foot; and, taking her by the hand, before them all,
he dragged her out of the church.
‘At the doors appeared a black horse, proudly neighing, with iron hooks
projecting over his whole back; on which the wretched creature was
placed, and, immediately, with the whole party vanished from the eyes of
the beholders: her pitiable cries for assistance being heard for nearly
the space of four miles.’
The Northern witches came nearer to our modern ones, and seem, if we can
believe Olaus Magnus, to have been very powerful.[23]
‘OF WOMAN WITCHES.
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‘I shall shew you by a few Examples, how cunning some Women were formerly
amongst the _Northern_ people in _Magical Art_. _Hugbert_, Daughter to
_Vagnostus_ the Giant, was wont to change her stature at pleasure;
sometimes she was very great; sometimes less; sometimes exceeding small;
sometimes wither’d faced; sometimes beautiful: sometimes she was as tall
as the sky; sometimes so short as a Pygmy; and she was supposed to be able
to pull down the Heavens, to lift up the Earth; to harden Fountains, to
melt Mountains; to lift ships into the Ayr; to pull down the Gods; to
extinguish the Stars, and to make Hell a light place.
‘When _Hadingus_ the King was at Supper, another Woman of the same Art,
who carried pipes, was seen to lift up her head above the ground before
the fire; and stretching out her bosome, she seemed to ask in what part of
the World so new green Reeds grew; the King, that desired to know the
matter, was carryed by her under ground, wrapt in his own Cloak: and,
having shewn unto him the Monsters of the Infernal Regions, she restored
him back to the Earth again.
‘_Cvaca_, a Woman of _Norway_, that desired to know the future fortune of
her Son _Rollerus_, provided Water-grewel, and into this, she dropt the
venemous moysture of three Land-Snakes, that were hung up above by a small
Twig. But _Ericus_, son in law to _Cvaca_ took to himself the Dish that
was provided for her son _Rollerus_, and he, being refreshed with this
happy meat, by the internal operation of it, arrived to the highest pitch
of man’s wisdome. For the force of this meat bred in him the Knowledge of
all Sciences beyond belief; so that he could understand the meaning of the
cryes of Birds and Wild Beasts. Besides, he was so eloquent and curious in
his speech, that whatsoever he pleased to discourse of, he would
constantly illustrate it with pleasant Proverbs. By his counsel King
_Frotho_ overcame the Army of the mighty _Huns_, that was assisted by 170
Kings. And, at length, _Gestilblindus_, King of the _Goths_, made this
_Ericus_ heir to himself, and to the Kingdome of _Sweden_; and that about
the time of Christ’s Nativity.
‘But King _Frotho_, being lunged at by a Witch that turned into an Oxe,
was slain by her upon a certain Sea-coast. _Guthruna_ suddenly blinded the
forces of King _Larmericus_, and made them fight one against another. An
earthen pot useth to be the common Instrument of Witches, wherein they
boyl their Myces, Herbs, Worms, and Entrals, and by that Witchery meat,
they allure idle persons to them, and make ships, horses, and horsemen, to
be as swift as a boyling pot.’
‘OF THE CONJURERS AND WITCHES IN FINLAND.
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‘Also, I shall show very briefly what force Conjurers and Witches have in
constraining the elements, enchanted by them or others, that they may
exceed or fall short of their Natural Order: premising this, that the
extream land of the _North Finland_ and _Lapland_, was so taught
Witchcraft formerly in the Heathenish times, as if they had learned this
Cursed Art from _Zoroastes_ the _Persian_; though other inhabitants by the
Sea Coasts are reported to be bewitched with the same madness; and in
this, and other such-like mischief, they commonly agree. The
_Finlanders_[24] were wont formerly, amongst their other Errors of Gentil
issue, to sell Winds to Merchants that were stopt on their Coasts by
contrary weather; and, when they had their price, they knit three Magical
Knots, not like to the Laws of _Cassius_, bound up with a Thong, and they
gave them unto the Merchants; observing that rule, that when they unloosed
the first, they should have a good gale of wind; when the second, a
stronger wind; but, when they untied the third, they should have such
cruel Tempests, that they should not be able to look out of the
Forecastle, to avoid the Rocks, nor move a foot to pull down the Sails,
nor stand at the helm to govern the ship: and they made an unhappy trial
of the truth of it, who denied that there was any such power in those
knots.’[25]
OF THE MAGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF BOTHNIA.
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‘They that desire to know the state of their Frends or Foes, at a very
great distance from them, five hundred be it, or a thousand miles off,
they enquire of a _Laplander_ or _Finlander_, who is skilled in this
matter, giving him a gift (namely, some Linnen Garment, or Girdle;)
Whereupon he goes into his Conclave, content with one companion, or his
wife, and he beats upon a frog of brass, or Serpent, with a hammer upon an
anvil, so many strokes as are prescribed; and, by mumbling of charms he
turns it up and down; and, presently falling, he is ravished into an
extasie, and he lies a short time, as if he were dead. In the meanwhile he
is safely guarded by his fore said Companion, lest any Living Creature,
Gnat or Fly, or other Animal might touch him; for by the power of his
Charms, his spirit, by the misleading of Devils, brings from far some
token (namely, a Ring or a Knife), for a testimony of his Embassie or
Commission fulfilled. And, presently, rising up, he declares the same
signs to him that hired him, with the rest of the Circumstances.’
This illustration is from ‘The History of Witches and Wizards’ (1700 ?),
and shows a Northern witch raising a storm by means of a pump, whilst a
Laplander in his _kayack_ rides in safety.
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