At the Taunton assizes, in 1663, Julian Cox, about seventy years old, was
indicted before Judge Archer for practising her arts of witchcraft upon a
"young Maid, whereby her Body languished, and was impaired of Health." And
first were taken proofs of her witchcraft. One witness, a huntsman, swore
that one day, as he was hunting not far from Julian's house, he started a
hare, which the dogs ran very close till it came to a bush; when, going
round to the other side to keep it from the dogs, he perceived Julian Cox
grovelling on the ground, panting and out of breath. She was the hare, and
had had just time enough to say the magic stave which changed her back to
woman's form again, ere the dogs had caught her. Another man swore that
one day, passing her house as "she was taking a Pipe of Tobacco upon the
Threshold of the Door," she invited him to come in and join her; which he
did; when presently she cried out, "Neighbour, look what a pretty thing
there is!" and there was "a monstrous great Toad betwixt his Legs, staring
him in the Face." He tried to hit it, but could not, whereupon Julian told
him to desist striking it and it would do him no hurt; but he was
frightened, and went off to his family, telling them that he had seen one
of Julian Cox her devils. Yet even when he was at home this same toad
appeared again betwixt his legs, and though he took it out, and cut it in
several pieces, still, when he returned to his pipe, there was the toad.
He tried to burn it, but could not; then to beat it with a switch, but the
toad ran about the room to escape him; presently it gave a cry and
vanished, and he was never after troubled with it. A third witness swore
that one day, when milking, Julian Cox passed by the yard where he was,
and "stooping down scored upon the ground for some small time, during
which time his Cattle ran Mad, and some of them ran their Heads against
the Trees, and most of them died speedily." Concluding by which signs that
they were bewitched, he cut off their ears to burn them, and, while they
were on the fire, Julian Cox came in a great heat and rage, crying out
that they abused her without cause; but, going slily up to the fire, she
took off the ears, and then was quiet. By the laws of witchcraft it was
she who was burning, not the beasts' ears. A fourth, as veracious as the
former, swore to having seen her "fly into her own Chamber-window in her
full proportion;" all of which testimony gave weight and substance to the
maid's charge.
The maid was servant at a certain house, where Julian came one day to ask
for alms; but the maid gave her a cross answer, and said she should have
none; so Julian told the maid she should repent her incivility before
night. And she did; for she was taken with convulsions, and cried out to
the people of the house to save her from Julian, for she saw her following
her. In the night she became worse, saying that she saw Julian Cox and the
black man by her bedside, and that they tempted her to drink, but "she
defy'd the Devil's Drenches." The next night, expecting the same kind of
conflict, she took up a knife and laid it at the head of her bed. In the
middle of the night came the spiritual Julian and the black man, as
before, so the maid took the knife, and stabbed at Julian, whom she said
she had wounded in the leg. The people, riding out to see, found Julian in
her own house with a fresh wound on her leg, and blood was also on the
maid's bed. The next day Julian appeared to the maid and forced her to eat
pins. Her apparition was on the house wall; and "all the Day the Maid was
observ'd to convey her Hand to the House wall, and from the Wall to her
Mouth, and she seem'd by the motion of her Mouth as if she did eat
something." So towards night, still crying out on Julian, she was
undressed, and all over her body were seen great swellings and bunches in
which were huge pins--as many as thirty or more--which she said Julian
Cox, when in the house wall, had forced her to eat. Was not all this
enough to hang a dozen Julian Coxes? Judge Archer thought so; especially
when was added to this testimony Julian's own enforced confession, of how
she had been often tempted by the devil to become a witch, but would never
consent; yet how one evening, walking about a mile from her house, she met
three persons riding on broom-staves, borne up about a yard and a half
from the ground, two of whom she knew--a witch and a wizard, hanged for
witchcraft several years ago--but the third, a black man, she did not then
know. He however tempted her to give up her soul, which she did by
pricking her finger and signing her name with her blood. So that, by her
own showing, as well as by the unimpeachable testimony of reputable
witnesses, she was a witch and one coming under the provisions of the
Awful Verse. And further, as she could not repeat the Lord's Prayer, but
stumbled over the clause "And lead us not into Temptation," which she made
into "And lead us into temptation," or "And lead us not into no
temptation," but could in no manner repeat correctly, the judge and jury
had but one conclusion to come to, which was that she be hanged four days
after her trial. But some of the less blind and besotted spoke harsh words
of Judge Archer for his zeal and precipitancy, and openly declared poor
Julian's innocence when advocacy could do her strangled corpse no good.