"Mareoune" Richart, _alias_ Langland, dwelt on one of the wild Orkney
islands, not far from where mad Elspeth Sandisome kept the whole country
in fear lest she should do something terrible to herself or to others.
Marion was invited to go the house, and try her skill at curing her, for
she was known to be an awful witch, and able to do whatever she had a mind
in the way of healing or killing. So she went, and set herself to her
charm. She took some "remedie water"--which she made into "remedy water,"
by carrying it in a round bowl to the byre where she cast into it
something like "great salt," taken from her purse, spitting thrice into
the bowl, and blowing in her breath--and with this magic "remedie watter
forspeking," she bade Elspeth's woman-servant wash her feet and hands, and
she would be as well as ever she had been before. This was bad enough; but
worse than this, she came to Stronsey on a day, asking alms of "Andro
Coupar, skipper of ane bark," to whom said Andrew rudely, "Away witch,
carling; devils ane farthing ye will fall!" whereupon went Marion away
"verie offendit; and incontinentlie he going to sea, the bark being vnder
saill, he ran wode, and wald half luppen ourboord; and his sone seing him
gat him in his armes, and held him; quhairvpon the sicknes immediatelie
left him, and his sone ran made; and Thomas Paiterson, seeing him tak his
madnes, and the father to turn weill, ane dog being in the bark, took the
dog and bladdit him vpon the twa schoulderis, and thaireftir flang the
said dogg in the sea, quhairby those in the bark were saiffed." So Marion
Richart, _alias_ Langland, learnt the hangman's way to the grave in the
year of grace 1629; and her corpse was burned, when the hangman's rope had
done its work.