frequent; and then they heard a noise like the gingling of money,
occasioned, as it was thought, by somewhat Mr. Mompesson’s mother
had spoke the day before to a neighbour, who talked of fairies
leaving money, viz. That she would like it well, if it would leave
some money to make amends for their trouble. The night after the
speaking of which, there was a great gingling of money over all
the house. After this, it desisted from ruder noises, and employed
itself in little apish, and less troublesome tricks. On Christmas
even, a little before day, one of the boys arising out of his bed,
was hit on a sore place on his heel, with the latch of the door; the
pin that it was fastened with, was so small that it was a difficult
matter to pick it out. The night after Christmas day, it threw the
old gentlewoman’s clothes about the room, and hid her bible among the
ashes. In such silly tricks it was frequent. After this it was very
troublesome to a servant of Mr. Mompesson’s, who was a stout fellow,
and of a sober conversation. This man lay within during the greatest
disturbance; and for several nights, something would endeavour to
pluck his clothes off the bed, so that he was lain to tug hard to
keep them on, and sometimes were plucked from him by force, and his
shoes thrown at his head. And now and then he should find himself
forcibly held, as if he were bound hand and foot; but whenever he
could make use of his sword, and struck with it, the spirit quitted
its hold. A little after these contests, a son of Sir Thomas Bennet,
whose workman the drummer had sometimes been, came to the house, and
told Mr. Mompesson some words that he had spoken, which it seems were
not well taken. For when they were in bed, the drum was beat up very
violently and loudly; the gentleman arose, and called his man to him,
who lay with Mr. Mompesson’s servant, just now spoken of, whose name
was John.——When Mr. Bennet’s man was gone, John heard a ruffing noise
in his chamber, and something came to his bed side, as if it had been
one in silk. The man presently reached after his sword, which he
found held from him; and it was with difficulty and much tugging that
he got it in his power: which as soon as he had done the spirit left
him; and it was always observed that it still avoided a sword. About
the beginning of Jan. 1663, they were wont to hear a singing in the
chimney, before it came down.——One night about this time, lights were
seen in the house. One of them came into Mr. Mompesson’s chamber,
which seemed blue and glimmering, and caused stiffness in the eyes
of those who saw it. After this something was heard coming up the
stair as it had been one without shoes. The light was seen four or
five times in the children’s chamber; and the maids confidently
affirm, the doors were at least ten times opened and shut in their
sight; and when they were opened they heard a noise as if half a
dozen had entered together. After which, some were heard to walk
about the room, and one ruffled as if it had been in silk. The like
Mr. Mompesson himself once heard.—During the time of the knocking,
when many were present, a gentleman of the company said, “Satan, if
the drummer set thee to work, give three knocks and no more;” which
it did very distinctly, and stopt. Then the gentleman knocked, to
see if it would answer him, as it was wont, but it did not. For
further trial, he bid it, for confirmation, “If it were the drummer,
to give five knocks and no more that night;” which it did, and left
the house quiet all that night. This was done in the presence of Sir
Thomas, Chamberlain of Oxfordshire, and divers others.——On Saturday
morning an hour before day, January 10, a drum was heard beat upon
the out sides of Mr. Mompesson’s chamber, from whence it went to the
other end of the house, where some gentlemen strangers lay, playing
at their door, and without, four or five several tunes, and so went
off into the air.——The next night, a smith in the village lying with
John the man, they heard a noise in the room as if one had been
shoeing of an horse; and somewhat came, as it were with a pair of
pinchers, snipping at the smith’s nose most part of the night.—One
morning, Mr. Mompesson rising early to go a journey, heard a great
noise below, where the children lay; and, running down with a pistol
in his hand, he heard a voice crying, A witch, a witch, as they had
also heard it once before; at his entrance all was quiet.—Having one
night played some little tricks at Mr. Mompesson’s bed-foot, it went
into another bed where one of his daughters lay; there it passed from
side to side, lifting her up as it passed under. At that time, there
were three kinds of noises in the bed. They endeavoured to thrust at
it with a sword, but it still shifted, and carefully avoided the
thrust, still getting under the child when they offered at it. The
night after, it came panting like a dog out of breath; upon which
one took a bed-staff to knock, which was caught out of her hand and
thrown away: and company coming up, the room was presently filled
with a bloomy noisome smell, and was very hot, though without fire,
in a very sharp severe winter night. It continued in the bed panting
and scratching an hour and a half, and then went into the next
chamber, where it knocked a little, and seemed to rattle a chain.
This it did for two or three nights together.
After all this, the old gentlewoman’s bible was found in the ashes,
the paper side being downwards. Mr. Mompesson took it up, and
observed that it lay open at the third chapter of Mark, where there
is mention of unclean spirits falling down before our Saviour, and
of his giving power to the twelve to cast out devils, and of the
scribes opinion that he cast them out through Beelzebub. The next
night they strewed ashes over the chamber to see what impressions it
would leave. In the morning they found in one place the resemblance
of a great claw, in another of a lesser, some letters in another,
which they could make nothing of, besides many circles in the
ashes.—About this time (says my author,) I went to the house, on
purpose to inquire the truth of those passages of which there was
so loud a report. It had ceased from its drumming and ruder noises
before I came hither: but most of the more remarkable circumstances
before related were confirmed to me by several of the neighbours
together, who had been present at them. At this time it used to
haunt the children as soon as they were laid. They went to bed that
night I was there about eight o’clock, when a maid servant coming
down, told us it was come. The neighbours that were there, and two
ministers, who had seen and heard it divers times, went away: but
Mr. Mompesson and I, and a gentleman that came with me, went up; I
heard a scratching, which was very strange, as I went up the stairs;
and when we came into the room, I perceived it was just behind the
bolster of the childrens’ bed, and seemed to be against the tyking.
It was as loud a scratching as one with long nails could make upon a
bolster. There were two little modest girls in the bed, between seven
and eleven years of age, as I guessed; I saw their hands without
the clothes, so that they could not contribute to the noise that
was behind their heads; they had been used to it, and had always
somebody or other in the chamber with them; and therefore seemed not
to be much affrighted; I, standing at the bed’s head, thrust my hand
behind the bolster, directing it to the place whence the noise seemed
to come; whereupon the noise ceased there, and was heard in another
part of the bed; but when I had taken out my hand, it returned and
was heard in the same place as before. I had been told that it would
imitate noises, and made trial, by scratching several times upon
the sheets, as five, seven, and ten, which it followed, and still
stopt at any number. I searched under and behind the bed, turned up
the clothes to the bed cords, grasped the bolster, sounded the wall
behind, and made all search that I possibly could, to find if there
were any trick, contrivance, or common cause of it; the like did my
friend, but we could discover nothing. So that I was then verily
persuaded, and am so still, that the noise was made by some dæmon
or spirit. After we had searched about half an hour or more, it went
into the midst of the bed, under the children, and there seemed to
pant like a dog out of breath very loudly: I put my hand upon the
place, and felt the bed bearing up against it, as if something within
had thrust it up; I grasped the feathers to feel if any living thing
were in them; I looked under, and every where about, to see if there
were any dog or cat, or any other creature in the room, and so we
all did, but found nothing. The motion it caused by this panting
was so strong, that it shook the room and windows very sensibly; it
continued this more than half an hour, while my friend and I staid
in the room, and as long after, as we were told. During the panting,
I chanced to see, as it were something (which I thought was a rat or
a mouse) moving in a linen bag that hung up against another bed that
was in the room; I stept and caught it up by the upper end with one
hand, with which I held it, and drew it quite through the other, but
found nothing at all in it. There was nobody near to shake the bag,
or if there had, no one could have made such motion, which seemed
to be from within, as if some living creature had moved in it. My
friend and I lay in the chamber where the first and chief disturbance
had been; we all slept well all night, but early before day in the
morning I was awakened (and I awakened my bedfellow) by a great
knocking just without our chamber door; I asked who was there several
times, but the knocking still continued without answer. At last I
said, “In the name of God, who is it, and what would you have?” to
which a voice answered, “Nothing with you.” We thinking it had been
some servant of the house, went to sleep again; but speaking of it
to Mr. Mompesson, when we came down, he assured us, “That no one of
the house lay that way, or had business thereabout, and that his
servants were not up till he called them, which was after it was
day.” Which they confirmed and protested, that the noise was not made
by them. Mr. Mompesson had told us before, “That it would be gone in
the middle of the night, and come again divers times early in the
morning about four o’clock;” and this I suppose was about that same
time. There came one morning a light into the children’s chamber,
and a voice crying “A witch, a witch,” for at least an hundred times
together. Mr. Mompesson at another time (being in the day) seeing
some wood move there, as of itself, discharged a pistol into it,
after which they found several drops of blood on the hearth, and
in divers places of the stair: for two or three nights after the
discharge of the pistol, there was a calm in the house; but then it
came again, applying itself to a little child, newly taken from the
nurse, which it so persecuted, that it would not let the poor infant
rest for two nights together, nor suffer a candle in the room, but
carry them away lighted up through the chimney, or cast them under
the bed. It so scared this child by leaping upon it, that for some
hours it could not be recovered out of the fright; so that they were
forced again to put the children out of the house. The next night
after, something about midnight came up the stairs, and knocked at
Mr. Mompesson’s door, but he lying still, it went up another pair
of stairs to his man’s chamber, to whom it appeared standing at his
bed foot. The exact shape and proportion he could not discover; but
he saith “He saw a great body, with two red glowring or glaring
eyes, which for some time were fixed steadily upon him, and at length
disappeared.” Another night, strangers being present, it purred in
the children’s bed like a cat; at which time the clothes and children
were lifted up from the bed, and six men could not keep them down.
Hereupon they removed the children, intending to have ripped the
bed; they were no sooner laid in another, but the second bed was
more troubled than the first; it continued thus four hours, and beat
the children’s legs against the bed-posts, that they were forced to
rise and sit up all night; after this it would empty chamber-pots
into their beds, and strew them with ashes from the hearth, though
they were never so carefully watched. It put a long picked iron in
Mr. Mompesson’s bed, and into his mother’s a naked knife upright. It
would fill porrengers with ashes, throw every thing about the room,
and make a noise all day.
About the beginning of April 1663, a gentleman that lay in the house,
had all his money turned black in his pocket. And Mr. Mompesson
coming one morning into his stable, found his horse he was wont to
ride on, lying on the ground, having one of his hinder legs in his
mouth, and so fastened, that it was difficult for several men to get
it out with a lever. After this there were some other remarkable
things, but my account goes no farther; only Mr. Mompesson wrote me
word, “That afterwards the house was several nights beset with seven
or eight, in the shape of men, who, as soon as a gun was discharged,
would shuffle away together into an arbour.”
The drummer was tried at the assize at Salisbury upon this occasion;
he was committed first to Gloucester gaol for stealing; and a
Wiltshire man coming to see him, he asked, What news in Wiltshire?
The man answered, “He knew of none.” “No,” saith the drummer, “did
you not hear of the drumming at a gentleman’s house at Tedworth?”
“That I do enough,” said the other. “Ay,” quoth the drummer, “I
have plagued him, and he shall never be quiet till he hath made me
satisfaction for taking away my drum.” Upon information of this,
the fellow was tried for a warlock at Sarum, and all the main
circumstances which I have related were sworn at the assizes by the
minister of the parish, and divers others of the most intelligent and
substantial inhabitants, who had been eye and ear witnesses of them,
time after time, for divers years together.—The fellow was condemned
for transportation, and accordingly sent away; but I know not how
(it is said by raising storms, and affrighting the seamen) he made
a shift to come back again. And it _is_ observable, That during all
the time of his restraint and absence, the house was quiet; but as
soon as ever he came back at liberty, the disturbance returned.—He
had been a soldier under Cromwell, and used to talk much of gallant
books, which he had of an odd fellow who was counted a wizzard. Upon
this occasion I shall here add a passage, which I had (saith my
author) from Mr. Mompesson, but yet relates to the main purpose.
The gentleman who was with me at the house, Mr. Hill, being in
company with one Compton of Somersetshire, practised physic, and
pretends to strange matters, related to him this story of Mr.
Mompesson’s disturbance. The physician told him, “He was sure it was
nothing but a rendezvous of witches, and that for an hundred pounds,
he would undertake to rid the house of all disturbance.” In pursuit
of this discourse he talked of many things; and having drawn my
friend into another room apart from the company, said, “He could make
him sensible he could do something more than ordinary,” and asked
him whom he desired to see? Mr. Hill had no great confidence in his
talk, whose wife was then many miles distant from them at her home.
Upon this Compton took up a looking-glass that was in the room, and
setting it down again, bid my friend look into it, which he did, and
there, as he most solemnly and seriously protested, he saw the exact
image of his wife, in that habit which she then wore, and working at
her needle in such a part of the room (there represented also) in
which, or about which time she really was, as he found upon enquiry
when he came to his own house.—The gentleman averred this to me,
and he is a very sober, intelligent, and creditable person. Compton
had no knowledge of him before, and was an utter stranger to the
person of his wife. Thus I have written the sum of Mr. Mompesson’s
disturbances, which (saith my author) I had partly from his own mouth
related before divers, who had been witnesses of all, and confirmed
his relation, and partly from his own letters, from which the order
and series of things is taken. The same particulars he wrote also to
Dr. Creed, then Doctor of the chair in Oxford.
XI.—_The Devil of Glenluce, enlarged with several remarkable
additions from an eye and ear witness, a person of undoubted
honesty._
This is that famous and notable story of the devil of Glenluce, which
I published in my Hydrostatics, anno 1672, and which since have been
transcribed word for word, by a learned pen, and published in a late
book intitled, Saducismus Triumphatus, whom nothing but the truth
thereof, and usefulness for refuting Atheism, could have persuaded
me to transcribe. The subject-matter, then, of this story, is a true
and short account of the troubles wherewith the family of one Gilbert
Campbell, by profession a weaver, in the old parish of Glenluce in
Galloway, was exercised. I have adventured to publish it _de novo_,
in this book, first, because it was huddled up among purposes of
another nature: but now I have reduced it to its own proper place.
Next, because this story is more full, being enlarged with new
additions, which were not in the former, and ends not so abruptly as
the other did.—It happened, says my informer, Gilbert Campbell’s son,
who was then a student of philosophy in the college of Glasgow, that
after one Alexander Agnew, a bold and sturdy beggar, who afterwards
was hanged at Dumfries for blasphemy, had threatened hurt to the
family, because he had not gotten such an alms as he required. The
said Gilbert Campbell was often hindered in the exercise of his
calling, and yet could not know by what means that was done. This
Agnew, amongst many blasphemous expressions, had this one when he
was interrogate by the judges, Whether or not he thought there was
a God? He answered “He knew no God but salt, meal, and water.” When
the stirs began, there was a whistling heard both within and without
the house. And Janet Campbell going one day to the well, to bring
home some water, was convoyed with a shrill whistling about her
ears, which made her say, “I would fain hear thee speak as well as
whistle.” Hereupon he said, after a threatening manner, “I’ll cast
thee, Janet, into the well.” The voice was most exactly like the
damsel’s voice, and did resemble it to the life. The gentlewoman that
heard this, and was a witness, thought the voice was very near to
her own ears, and said, “The whistling was such as children used to
make with their small slender glass whistles.”——About the middle of
November, the foul fiend came on with new and extraordinary assaults,
by throwing of stones in at the doors and windows, and down the
chimney-head, which were of great quantity, and thrown with force;
yet, by God’s providence, there was not one person in the family
that was hurt. This did necessitate Gilbert Campbell to reveal that
to the minister of the parish, and to other neighbours and friends,
which hitherto he had suffered secretly. Notwithstanding of this
his trouble was enlarged; for not long after, he found oftentimes
his warp and threads cut, as with a pair of scissars; and not only
so, but their apparel were cut after the same manner, even while
they were wearing them, their coats, bonnets, hose, shoes, but
could not discern how, or by what means. Only it pleased God to
preserve their persons, that the least harm was not done. Yet in
the night-time, they had not liberty to sleep, something coming and
pulling their bed-clothes, and linens off them, and leaving their
bodies naked. Next, their chests and trunks were opened, and all
things in them strawed here and there. Likewise the parts of their
working instruments which had escaped, were carried away, and hid
in holes and bores of the house, where hardly any could be found,
again. Nay, whatever piece of cloth or household stuff was in any
part of the house, it was carried away; and so cut and abused, that
the good man was necessitate, in all haste and speed, to remove, and
transport the rest to a neighbour’s house, and he himself compelled
to quit the exercise of his calling, whereby he only maintained his
family. Yet he resolved to remain in his house for a season; during
which time, some persons about, not very judicious, counselled him
to send his children out of the family, here and there, to try whom
the trouble did most follow, assuring him that his trouble was not
against the whole family, but against some person or other in it,
whom he too willingly obeyed. Yet, for the space of four or five
days, there were no remarkable assaults as before. The minister
hearing thereof, shewed him the evil of such a course; and assured
him, that if he repented not, and called back his children, he might
not expect that his trouble would end in a right way. The children
that were nigh by, being brought home, no trouble followed, till
one of his sons called Thomas, that was farest off, came home. Then
did the devil begin afresh; for upon the Lord’s day following, in
the afternoon, the house was set on fire, but by the help of some
neighbours going home from sermon, the fire was put out, and the
house saved, not much loss being done.——Monday after being spent in
private prayer and fasting, the house was again set on fire upon
the Tuesday, about nine o’clock in the morning; yet, by the speedy
help of the neighbours, it was saved, little skaith being done.—The
weaver being thus vexed and wearied both day and night, went to the
minister of the parish, an honest and godly man, desiring him to let
his son Thomas abide with him for a time, who condescended, but withal
assuring him, that he would find himself deceived; and so it came to
pass, for notwithstanding that the lad was without the family, yet
were they that remained in it sore troubled, both in the day-time and
night-season, so that they were forced to wake till midnight, and
sometimes all the night over, during which time the persons within
the family suffered many losses, as the cutting off their clothes,
throwing of peats, the pulling down of turf and feal from the roof
and walls of the house, stealing of their clothes, and the pricking
of their flesh and skin with pins.—Some ministers about having
convened at the place for a solemn humiliation, persuaded Gilbert
Campbell to call back his son Thomas, notwithstanding of whatever
hazard might follow: The boy returning home, affirmed, that he heard
a voice speak to him, forbidding him to enter within the house, or
in any other place where his father’s calling was exercised; yet he
entered, but was sore abused, till he was forced to return to the
minister’s house again. Upon Monday the 12th of February, the rest of
the family began to hear a voice speak to them, but could not well
know from whence it came; yet from evening till midnight, too much
vain discourse was kept up with Satan: and many idle and impertinent
questions proposed, without that due fear of God that should have
been upon their spirits under so rare and extraordinary a trial; they
came at length in familiar discourse with the foul thief, that they
were no more afraid to keep up the clash with him, than to speak
to one another. In this they pleased him well, for he desired no
better than to have sacrifices offered to him. The minister hearing
of this, went to the house upon the Tuesday, being accompanied with
some gentlemen, one James Bailie of Carphin, Alexander Bailie of
Dunragged, Mr. Robert Hay, and a gentlewoman called Mrs. Douglas,
whom the minister’s wife did accompany. At their first coming in, the
devil says “Quam Literarum is good Latin;” these are the first words
of the Latin Rudiments, which scholars are taught when they go to
the grammar-school; he cries again, “a dog.” The minister thinking
he had spoken it to him, said, he took it not ill to be reviled by
Satan, since his master had trodden that path before him. Answered
Satan, “It was not you, Sir, I spoke to, I meant the dog there;” for
there was a dog standing behind backs. This passing, they all went
to prayer; which being ended, they heard a voice speaking out of
the ground from under the bed, in the proper country dialect, which
he did counterfeit exactly, saying, “Would you know the witches of
Glenluce? I will tell you them;” and so related four or five persons’
names that went under a bad report; the weaver informed the company,
that one of them was dead long ago. The devil answered and said, “It
is true she is dead long ago, but her spirit is living with us in the
world.” The minister replied, saying, (though it was not convenient
to speak to such an excommunicate and inter-communed person,) “The
Lord rebuke thee, Satan, and put thee to silence; we are not to
receive information from thee, whatsoever fame any person goes under;
thou art seeking but to seduce this family, for Satan’s kingdom
is not divided against itself.” After which all went to prayer
again, which being ended, for during the time of prayer no noise or
trouble was made, except once that a loud fearful yell was heard at
a distance; the devil threatening and terrifying the lad Tom, who
had come back that day with the minister, “That if he did not depart
out of the house, he would set all on fire.” Says the minister, “The
Lord will preserve the house and the lad too, seeing he is one of the
family, and had God’s warrant to tarry in it.” The fiend answered,
“He shall not get liberty to tarry; he was once put out already,
and shall not abide here, though I should pursue him to the end of
the world.” The minister replied, “The Lord will stop thy malice
against him.” And then they all went to prayer again; which being
ended, the devil said, “Give me a spade and a shovel, and depart from
the house for seven days, and I will make a grave, and lie down in
it, and shall trouble you no more.” The goodman answered, “Not so
much as a straw shall be given thee, through God’s assistance, even
though that would do it.” The minister also added, “God shall remove
thee in due time.” The spirit answered, “I will not remove for you;
I have my commission from Christ to tarry and vex this family.” The
minister answered. “A permission thou hast indeed, but God will stop
it in due time.” The devil replied, “I have, Sir, a commission which
perhaps will last longer than your own.” The minister died in the
year 1655, in December. The devil had told them, “That he had given
his commission to Tom to keep.” The company inquired at the lad, who
said, “There was something put into his pocket, but it did not tarry.”