and also, in short time, perfectly recovered, and is yet living in the Town, in good and honest Repute, and hath been many years Marryed, and hath had seven Children; but never voided any stones since, nor been troubled with the pain fore mentioned. Abundance of people yet living, know the Substance of this to be true, and her Mother in Law (since dead) kept the stones till she was tired with the frequent Resort of people to see them, and the said Mary, and to hear the Relation of the matter, and beg the stones; (for though many offered Money for them, yet she always refused it, nor did they ever take any, but it cost them much upon the Girl, and the Prosecution of the said Huxley) and then she buried them in her Garden. Edward Ellins, the Father of the said Mary, is also yet living, and a Man of honest Repute, and utterly free (as is also the said Mary, and all the rest of her Friends) from the least Suspition of any Fraud or Cheat in the whole business: This was known to hundreds of People in the said Town, and parts Adjacent, and many of them, yet living, are ready to attest to the truth of it.’
In the case of Anne Bodenham,50 which is too long and intricate to give even a résumé of, we have some entirely new features, partaking more of the magician than the witch. She lived at Fisherton-Auger, Wilts, was a married woman, and at the time of her malpractices kept a small elementary school. She was considered a ‘cunning,’ or ‘wise,’ woman, and was resorted to by the people round about, for consultation as to the recovery of lost or stolen property, and, according to this pamphlet, her doings were marvellous. The first case records a woman going to consult her as to the loss of some gold money.
‘The Witch put on her Spectacles, and, demanding seven shillings of the Maid, which she received, she opened three Books, in which there seemed to be severall pictures, and amongst the rest, the picture of the Devill, to the Maid’s appearance, with his Cloven feet and Claws; after the Witch had looked over the book, she brought a round green glass, which glass she layd down on one of the books, upon some picture therein, and rubbed the glass, and then took up the book with the glass upon it, and held it up against the Sun, and bid the Maid come and see who they were that she could shew in that glass, and the Maid, looking in the glass, saw the shape of many persons, and what they were doing of in her Master’s house, in particular, shewed Mistriss Elizabeth Rosewel standing in her Mistriss Chamber, looking out of the Window with her hands in her sleeves, and another walking alone in her Master’s Garden, one other standing in a room within the kitchen, one other standing in a matted room of her Masters, against the window, with her Apron in her hand, and shewed others drinking, with glasses of Beer in their hands. After the Witches shewing this to the Maid, she then bad her go home; which, when she came home, she asked the people (she so saw in the Witches glass) what they had been doing while she had been wanting, and by their answers to her, she found that they had been doing what she saw they were in the glass: and the Maid relating this to Elizabeth Rousewel, she replyed, that Mistriss Boddenham (meaning the said Witch) was either a Witch, or a woman of God.’
She was also able to raise devils, and had several at her command, Beelzebub, Tormentor, Satan, and Lucifer, and one scene with them is thus described: ‘And, presently, the back Door of the house flying open, there came five spirits, as the Maid supposed, in the likeness of ragged Boys, some bigger than others, and ran about the house, where she had drawn the Staff, and the Witch threw down upon the ground Crumbs of Bread, which the Spirits picked up, and leapt over the Pan of Coals oftentimes, which she set in the middest of the circle, and a Dog and a Cat of the Witches danced with them; and, after some time, the Witch looked again in her book, and threw some great white seeds on the ground, which the said Spirits picked up, and so, in a short time, the wind was layd, and the Witch, going forth at her back Door, the Spirits vanished.’
But she also dabbled in poisoning: ‘And in a short time after, Mistress Rosewel sent her again to the Witch, to know of her when the day should be, that Mistris Goddard should be poysoned, and delivered her eight shillings to give the Witch; so the Maid went again to the Witch accordingly, and gave her the eight shillings, and the Witch replyed she could not tell her then, but gave the Maid one shilling, and bid her go to an Apothecary, and buy some white Arsenick, and bring it to her to prevent it, which the Maid did, and carried it to the Witch, who said to her she would take it and burn it, to prevent the poysoning, but she burnt it not, as the Maid could see, at all....
‘The next day following, the Maid was sent again to the Witch, to get some example shewen upon the Gentlewoman that should procure the poyson, upon which the Maid went again to the Witch, and told her for what she was sent. Then the Witch made a Circle, as formerly, and set her pan of Coles, as formerly, and burnt something that stank extremely, and took her book and Glass, as before is related, and said Beelzebub, Tormentor, Lucifer, and Satan, appear! And then appeared five Spirits as she conceived, in the shapes of little ragged Boyes, which the Witch commanded to appear, and go along with the Maid to a meadow at Wilton, which the Witch shewed in the Glass, and there to gather Vervine and Dill, and, forthwith, the ragged Boys ran away before the Maid, and she followed them to the said meadow; and, when they came thither the ragged Boys looked about for the Herbs, and removed the Snow in two or three places, before they could find any; and, at last, they found some, and brought it away with them, and then the Maid and the Boys returned back to the Witch, and found her in the Circle paring her Nayls, and then she took the said Herbs, and dryed the same, and made powder of some, and dried the leaves of other, and threw Bread to the Boys, and they eat and danced as formerly; and then the Witch, reading in a book, they vanished away. And the Witch gave the Maid in one paper the powder, in another the leaves, and in the third, the paring of the Nayls; all which the Maid was to give to her Mistress. The powder was to put in the young Gentlewomens Mistriss Sarah and Mistriss Ann Goddard’s drink or broth, to rot their Guts in their Bellies; the leaves to rub about the rims of the Pot, to make their Teeth fall out of their Heads; and the parings of the Nayls to make them mad and drunk. And the Witch likewise told the Maid, that she must tell her Mistriss, and the rest, that, when they did give it to them, they must cross their Breasts, and then say, In the name of our Lord Jesu Christ, grant that this may be, and that they must say the Creed backward and forward.’
The death of this wicked woman was worthy of her life: ‘Afterwards, she fell into a rage, and wished for a Knife: she said she would run it into her heart-blood. Being replyed unto by some, Oh Mris Boddenham, you would not offer to doe such wickednesse? would you? She swore by the Name of God, but she would, had she but a Knife. She then went forth to the place of her Execution, where a numerous company were spectators; and, as she went along towards the gallows, by every house she went by, she went with a small piece of silver in her hand, calling for Beer, and was very passionate when denyed. One of the men that guarded her on the way, told her that Mr. Sheriff would not let her be buryed under the gallows, upon which she railed at the man extremely that told her so, and said she would be buryed there. When she came to the place of execution, she went immediately to goe up the Ladder, but she was pulled back again and restrained: I then pressed her to confesse what she promised me she would, now before she dyed, but she refused to say anything. Being asked whether she desired the prayers of any of the people, she answered, she had as many prayers already, as she intended or desired to have, but cursed those that detained her from her death, and was importunate to goe up the Ladder, but was restrained for a while, to see whether she would confesse any thing, but she would not. They then let her goe up the Ladder, and when the rope was about her neck, she went to turn herself off, but the Executioner stayed her, and desired her to forgive him: she replyed. Forgive thee? a pox on thee, turn me off: which were the last words she spake. She was never heard, all the while she was at the place of Execution, to pray one word, or desire any others to pray for her, but the contrary.’
‘Julian Cox, aged 70 years, was indicted at Taunton in Somersetshire, about summer assizes, 1663, before Judge Archer, then judge of assize there, for witchcraft.51
‘For the proof of the first particular. The first witness was a huntsman, who swore that he went out with a pack of hounds to hunt a hare, and not far off from Julian Cox’s house, he, at last, started a hare. The