The next year saw Mr. Fairfax of Knaresborough--Edward Fairfax, the
scholar, the gentleman, the classic, our best translator of Tasso,
graceful, learned, elegant Edward Fairfax--pursuing with incredible zeal
six of his neighbours for supposed witchcraft on his children. The
children had fits and were afflicted with imps, so Edward Fairfax thought
his paternal duty consisted in getting the lives of six supposed witches,
the hanging of whom would infallibly cure his children, and drive away the
evil spirits possessing them. But fortunately for the accused the judge
had more sense than Mr. Fairfax; and, though the women were sent back
again for another assize, suffered them to escape with only the terror of
death twice repeated. It is strange to find ourselves face to face with
such stupid bigotry as this in a man so estimable and so refined as
Fairfax.