Part 13

The mistress informed her husband, desiring him to forbear that house, lest she should be affrighted even with apprehensions; but he, out of a natural courage, and fortitude of mind, smiled at the relation, and resolved to tarry, lodging there that very same night.——To-morrow being the Sabbath-day, they went both to church in the forenoon; but in the afternoon, he being indisposed, fitted himself for a sleep; his wife took the Bible; and at the head of the table near the bed, resolved to spend the time in reading of the Holy Scripture, appointing the servant to go to church, which she did, but came no more to the family.—As the mistress was reading to herself, she chanced to cast her eyes to a little chamber-door just over against her, where she spied the head and face of an old man, grey headed, with a grey beard, looking straight upon her, the distance being very short; at which sight, she endeavouring to awaken her husband, fell in a swoon and fainted, and lay in that posture till she heard some of her neighbours open their doors after sermon was ended; then she told her husband what was done, and what she had seen, the apparition being evanished; he pleaded it was some fancy, or delusion of her senses, and bade her be of good courage.—After supper, both being alone, the goodwife’s fear still continuing, she built on a large fire, and went to bed. After a little time, the goodman cast his eyes towards the chimney, and spied that same old man’s head in the former place. He told his wife, who was like to fall into her former passion. He rising, lighteth a candle, sets it on the table, and went to his bed again, encouraging themselves in the Lord; and recommended themselves to God’s care and protection. After an hour and more was spent thus; they clearly perceived a young child, with a coat upon it, hanging near to the old man’s head. At which sight, the goodman, Tom, flew out of his bed, and his wife after him. He taking her in his arms, kneeled down before the bed, and with fervent devotion, they entreated the Lord to be freed from that temptation. He lighted a second candle, the first being spent, and knocked upon his neighbours; but getting no answer, they both returned to their bed, where they both kneeled down and prayed; an excessive fear and sweat being upon them.—By and by a naked arm appears in the air, from the elbow downward, and the hand stretched out, as when one man is about to salute another. He then skipped out of his bed, and kneeling down, begged help from heaven. The arm had now come within its own length to him, as it were to shake hands with him. Whereupon, he immediately goes to bed again, and at the opening of the curtain, it offered another salutation to him. The man and the wife embracing one another through fear, and still eyeing the naked arm, they prayed the more earnestly. But the cubit offering to touch him, he was in such a consternation and amazement, that he was as one distracted; but taking some courage from God, he boldly spake to it after this manner: “In the name of the living God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, tell me why thou troublest my family? To my knowledge, I never wronged any man, by killing or cheating; but hath lived honestly in the world. If thou hast received any wrong, if I can right thee, I will do my utmost for thee; but trouble me no more.” Notwithstanding of this, the arm and hand, came nearer than before, still after a courteous manner, with an offer of acquaintance. They fell to prayer again, both of them being drowned with sweat; and in the mean time, they saw a little dog come out of that little room afore-named; which, after a little time looking about towards the bed and the naked arm, composed itself upon a chair, as it were with its nose in its tail to sleep. This somewhat increased their fear. But quickly after, a cat comes leaping out from the same room, and in the midst of the hall, began to play some little tricks. Then was the hall full of small little creatures dancing prettily; unto which none of them could give a name, as having never in nature seen the like.

It is not possible to narrate the height of passion and fear these two were under, having all the apparitions at once in their eye, which continued a long time. The honest couple went to their knees again within the bed; there being no standing in the floor of the room. In the time of prayer, their ears were started with a deep, dreadful, and loud groan, as of a strong man dying; at which, all the apparitions and visions at once evanished; and, as the honest couple thought, they retired to the little room from whence they came, and the house was quiet.—After this, they both went hand in hand to the little room where the drink stood, and refreshed themselves therewith. After they had taken a second draught, the husband said, “My dear, God hath made me this night to bear that which would have frighted to death the stoutest of them all.” The day approaching, they dressed themselves, and made no secret of it. But looking back upon what happened, they wondered, that none of them had wit to open the door, and to flee from the house, which had been easier done than to light the first candle. But they behoved to undergo this trial, having no power to escape it. And by this means, the goodman had the courage to dwell in the house after till he died; yet would never want some good fellows or others with him, concluding the worst was over; as indeed it was.—A few weeks after, he, on a Sabbath day, went with his wife to Corstorphine, a village two miles from Edinburgh, to hear sermon. In the evening, he took some refreshment there at a public inn; and stepping to the door to ease nature, he was instantly surprized with a vehement shivering and trembling in all his joints. Coming from the end of the aforesaid village, with a purpose to come home, he was accompanied with some crows flying above him, almost keeping pace with him, till he came to Portsburgh, a part of the suburbs of the city, where they left him, and returned to their own lodging. “These crows, my dear (says he) do prognosticate, that I must die shortly.” He fell sick of a pain in his head, with an excessive aking. But before I go further on this narration, I must make a visit to the country.—A gentleman near Tranent, or in it, a town about seven miles from Edinburgh, whose agent this man was, in managing his law-affairs, and keeped his papers for that effect, had a singular kindness for Thomas, as he had for him. This gentleman being in bed one morning with his wife, his nurse and a child lying in a truckle-bed near them, the nurse was affrighted with something like a cloud moving up and down the room; but not shaped as such. She called to her master and his wife, and awakened them. He seeing the cloud figured like a man, nimbly skipped over the bed, and drew his sword; and going to bed again, laid it by his side, and recommended the family to God. For a time it continued in the forementioned dark form; but, anon, they all saw perfectly the body of a man walking up and down. The gentleman behaved himself more like a Christian than a combatant. At last, this apparition looked him fully and perfectly in the face, and stood by him with a ghostly and pale countenance; at which the gentleman with great courage, said to the spectre, “What art thou? Art thou my dear friend Thomas Coltheart?” (For so was the agent called.) “Art thou dead, my friend? Tell me if thou hast any commission to me from Almighty God, tell it me, and it shall be welcome.” The ghost held up its hand three times, waving and shaking it towards him, and immediately disappeared. This was done about the very hour (as was guessed) of the agent’s death.

The Sunday after his death, among many accompanying his corpse to the common burial place, some of the town ministers were there, and by chance a friend of his thanked one of them for his attendance; and said, “Sir, it was a pity that some of you saw him not before he died.” The minister asked him, “If any remarkable thing was the cause of his sickness” So much was told, as gave the minister ground to make a visit to his widow; who made him very welcome with tears in her eyes. After she had composed herself, he prayed. Prayer being ended, she began the before related story, and told it from the beginning. But when she came to the dog’s part, she telling him, that he was just now sitting upon the chair where the dog lay sleeping, the minister rises up, and taking the mistress by the hand, “Come, (said he) I have seen his chair; in the name of Almighty God, I will see his chamber too;” and so went in to see the little room from which the apparition came, and to which they returned; in which room she gave the minister an account of what followed the dog. In the mean time a gentleman came in, whom she knew by his voice, and running to him with great fervour, they embraced one another affectionately with tears. To make an end, this stranger was the gentleman to whom the ghost of the deceased husband appeared about Tranent, the very hour when he was expiring at Edinburgh. He told likewise, that that morning the ghost appeared to him, he was resolved to attend the Duke of Lauderdale from Lithingtown to Edinburgh; but this apparition discomposing his wife, he could not. But With his first conveniency (he told her) he had come in to see her, and get an account of his being touched with what he saw at his house.

These things coming to the Duke of Lauderdale’s ears, as remarkable stories, he called for that minister, and had the same account of the particulars, before many of the nobility, narrated to him.

XXXIX.—_An Apparition of a deceased Wife to her Husband, at Edinburgh._

Sir, that which I narrated to you the other day, I have now sent it under my hand, as a thing very certain and sure. I knew a servant-maid, that served a gentlewoman in the old Provost’s Close, as they call it, who was married to a butcher called John Ritchie, about twelve years ago. She lived about five years with him, and had four children to him, and then died. Within a few days after her burial, he went in suit of a young woman, courting her for marriage. He had a comrade of the same trade, to whom he revealed his intention, and desired him to meet him at such a house, near to the court of guard, down some close or other, that he might see his new mistress. The appointment was keeped. The two lovers sat down together on a bed-side, and the comrade sat opposite to them, there being a table between them, and a window or shot at the head of the room, that gave them light; the close or wynd was narrow to which they had a sight. And while they two are dallying together in the bed, the other smiling at them; behold, while this man is casting his eye about the room, he perceived distinctly the body and face of the dead wife, in her clothes, looking towards them from an opposite window; at which this man, his comrade, rose up affrighted, saying to the other, “John, what’s that?” Whereupon all stood up looking, and saw perfectly the buried woman lifting up her hands (as appeared) to take the dead-dress from her head, but could not reach it. The man threw the woman out of his arms, with a purpose to be gone quickly; but his comrade vowed he would not stir till he got something to comfort his heart: they got a little brandy, and then went away; not without wondering and fear. Upon this, the man took sickness for three or four days; and his comrade coming to give him a visit, counselled him to delay, or wholly to desist from that purpose of marriage; but affection would not suffer him to forbear; and, though not fully recovered of his frenzy, he made a new address to his mistress; but, while he is putting on his shoes, his dead wife appears again in her ordinary habit; and crossing the room in his sight, says, “John, will you not come to me?” and with that evanished. Up on this, he took sickness again, and called for his comrade, and told him of this second apparition, who most freely entreated him to desist, or at least to delay. His sickness increasing, he died. About which time, he spoke of a third visit his wife gave him, blaming him as if he had too soon forgotten her, but did not tell it distinctly; and therefore his comrade could not be positive in it. He was buried within a month of his wife’s decease.—One of the ministers of Edinburgh, who had been acquaint in the house where she served, hearing some whisper of the apparition, sent a servant secretly to call for the man’s comrade, who gave him a just and true narration of all that I have written; adding, that having seen the vision first, some told him he would quickly die, but he is yet living in the town, a flesher; the minister having married him to two wives since. The deceased wife’s name was Helen Brown. I intended to have published another relation anent the devil’s coming in the night-time, and knocking three several times at such a man’s door; but I was desired to forbear.

Having no kindness for the Cartesian philosophy, I must fall upon it in the close, as I did in the beginning. I will not name nor cite the author that maintains the following blasphemous opinions, though I may; 1st, That there is an infinite intelligible extension, which is God, in which we see all bodies. 2dly, This author makes Christ the eternal World, speak in the quality of a Cartesian philosopher. 3dly, He destroys altogether the providence of God. 4thly, He says, that God hath not made all things for his own glory. 5thly, That it was necessary that all men should be sinners, that there might be a diversity of glory. 6thly, Works done without grace are good works. 7thly, God is not the author of every good thing that is in us. 8thly, He destroys the authority of the Scripture, and exposes it to be despised by the prophane. 9thly, The thoughts of Jesus Christ are the occasional causes of the distribution of grace. 10thly, God could have created spirits from all eternity. 11thly, All creatures are full of Jesus Christ. 12thly, He ruins the nature of sin by the idea which he gives of liberty. l3thly, That liberty is not essential to spirit. 14thly, A man transported by his passion doth not sin. 15thly, Every habit or passion, or temperament, which he cannot overcome, doth make the most ugly and enormous actions to be no sins. And thence, sodomy, incest, murder, adultery, rebellion, witchcraft, are no sins if they be habitual. These are but a few of his blasphemous and atheistical opinions. This philosophy would please some now-a-days very well, that habituate themselves in murder; murdering some in their lodgings, and others on the King’s highway, as is most unchristianly done by some. “O dementia! hucine rerum venimus?”

SOME

ADDITIONAL RELATIONS,

WHICH HAVE HAPPENED IN THE

SHIRE OF RENFREW, TOWNS OF PITTENWEEM, CALDER, AND OTHER PLACES.

XL.—_Concerning some Witches in the Shire of Renfrew._

It was about the end of August 1696, Christian Shaw, daughter to Shaw of Bargarran, in the shire of Renfrew, about eleven years of age, perceiving one of the maids of the house, named Katharine Campbell, to steal and drink some milk; she told her mother of it: Whereupon the maid Campbell (being of a proud and revengeful humour, and a great curser and swearer) did, in a great rage, thrice imprecate the curse of God upon the child, and uttered these words, “The devil harle your soul through hell.”——On Friday following, one Agnes Nasmith came to Bargarran’s house, where she asked the same Christian, how the lady and young child was? and how old the young child was? To which Christian replied, “What do I know?” Then Agnes asked, How herself did, and how old she was? To which she answered that she was well, and in the eleventh year of her age.—On Saturday night thereafter, the child went to bed in good health; but so soon as she was asleep, began to cry, “Help, help;” and did fly over the resting-bed where she was lying, with such violence, that her brains had been dashed out, if a woman had not broke the force of the child’s motion, and remained as if she had been dead, for the space of half an hour. After this she was troubled with sore pains, except in some short intervals. And when any of the people present touched any part of her body, she did cry and screech with such vehemence, as if they had been killing her, but could not speak.—Some days thereafter she fell a crying, that Catharine Campbell and Agnes Nasmith were cutting her side and other parts of her body. In this condition she continued a month, with some variation, both as to the fits and intervals.—She did thrust out of her mouth parcels of hair, some curled, some plaited, some knotted, of different colours, and in large quantities; and likewise coal-cinders, about the bigness of a chesnut; some whereof were so hot, that they could scarcely be handled. One of which, Dr. Brisbane being by her when she took it out of her mouth, felt to be hotter than any one’s body could make it.—The girl continued a long time in this condition, till the government began to take notice of it, and gave commission to some honourable gentleman for the trial of these two, and several others concerned in these hellish practices; (which I shall, for brevity’s sake, omit to mention) and being brought before the judges, two of their accomplices confessed the crime; whereupon they were condemned and executed.

XLI.—_Concerning the Witches of Pittenweem._

Peter Morton, smith at Pittenweem, being desired by one Beattie Laing to do some work for her, which he refused, excusing himself in respect he had been pre-engaged to serve a ship with nails, within a certain time, so that till he had finished that work, he could not engage in any other; that notwithstanding, the said Beattie Laing declared herself dissatisfied, and vowed revenge. The said Peter Morton, afterward being indisposed, coming by the door, saw a small vessel full of water, and a coal of fire slockened in the water; so perceiving an alteration in his health, and remembering Beattie Laing’s threatenings, he presently suspects devilry in the matter, and quarrels the thing. Thereafter, finding his indispositions growing worse and worse, being tormented and pricked as if with bodkins and pins, he openly lays the blame upon witchcraft, and accuses Beattie Laing. He continued to be tormented, and she was by warrant apprehended, with others in Pittenweem. No natural reason could be given for his distemper, his face and neck being dreadfully distorted, his back prodigiously rising and falling, his belly swelling and falling on a sudden; his joints pliable, and instantly so stiff, as no human power could bow them. Beattie Laing and her hellish companions being in custody, were brought to the room where he was; and his face covered, he told his tormentors were in the room, naming them. And though formerly no confession had been made, Beattie Laing confessed her crime, and accused several others as accessory.—The said Beattie having confessed her compact with the devil, and using of spells; and particularly her slockening the coal in water; she named her associates in revenge, against Peter Morton, viz. Janet Corset, Lillie Wallace, and —— Lawson, had framed a picture of wax, and every one of the forenamed persons having put their pin in the picture for torture. They could not tell what had become of the image, but thought the devil had stolen it, whom they had seen in the prison.—Beattie Laing likewise said, that one Isobel Adams, a young lass, was also in compact with the devil. This woman was desired to fee with Beattie, which she refused: and Beattie let her see a man at the other end of the table, who appeared as a gentleman, and promised her all prosperity in the world: she promised her service to him; and he committed uncleanness with her, (which she said no other had done before) and he put his mark in her flesh, which was very painful. She was shortly after ordered to attend the company to go to one M’Grigor’s house to murder him. He awakening when they were there, and recommending himself to God, they were forced to withdraw. This Isobel Adams appeared ingenuous and very penitent in her confession; she said, he who forgave Manasseh’s witchcrafts, might forgive her’s also; and died very penitent, and to the satisfaction of many.

This Beattie Laing was suspected by her husband, long before she was laid in prison by warrant of the magistrates. The occasion was this; she said, that she had packs of wool coming from Leith to her, which she was to sell at Auchtermuchty fair; and they being longsome in coming to the market, he said, “It would not be in time to the fair.” She desired him to go to the market, for she was sure her merchant would not fail her. He went off long before her; and when he came to the town, he found her before him, and two packs of very good wool, which she instantly sold; and coming home with a black horse which she had with her, they drinking till it was late in the night ere they came home, the man said, “What shall I do with the horse?” She replied, “Cast the bridle on his neck, and you will be quit of him.” And, as her husband thought, the horse flew with a great noise away in the air.——They were, by a complaint to the Privy Council, prosecute by her Majesty’s Advocate 1704, but all set at liberty, save one, who died in prison, in Pittenweem. Beatie Laing died undesired, in her bed, in St. Andrew’s; all the rest died miserable and violent deaths.

XLII.—_Concerning the bewitching of a Child in Ireland._

At Antrim, in Ireland, a girl of ninteen years of age, inferior to none in the place for beauty, education, and birth, innocently eat a leaf of sorrel, which she got from a witch, after she had given the begging witch bread and beer at the door: it was scarcely swallowed by her, but she began to be tortured in her bowels, to tremble all over, and even was convulsive; and, in fine to swoon away, as dead. The doctors used remedies on the 9th of May 1698, at which time it happened, but to no purpose. The child continued in a most terrible paroxysm: Whereupon they sent for a minister, who scarce had laid his hand on her, when she was turned by the demon, in the most dreadful shapes. She began first to roll herself about, then to vomit horse-dung, needles, pins, hairs, feathers, bottoms of thread, pieces of glass, window-nails, nails drawn out of a cart or coach wheel, an iron-knife, above a span long, eggs, and fish shells. And when the wretch (I should have said the witch) came near the place, or looked to the house, though at the distance of 200 paces from the house where the child was, she was in worse torment, insomuch, that no life was expected for the child, till the witch was removed to some greater distance.——This Witch was apprehended, condemned, strangled, and burnt; and was desired to undo the incantation, immediately before strangling; but said she could not, by reason others had done against her likewise: But the wretch confessed the same, with many more. The child was about the middle of September thereafter, carried to a gentleman’s house, where there were many other things happened scarce credible, but that several ministers, and the gentleman, have attested the same. The relation is to be seen in a pamphlet printed 1699, entitled, “The bewitching of a child in Ireland.”

XLIII.—_Concerning the Witch of Calder._