Witchcraft in Old and New England

There is no trace of influence from the clergy or the gentry. It was the villagers themselves who appealed to the magistrate for protection. One witness speaks of a number of them as going to Tunstall, to the house of Sir Thomas Ridgeway, to make a complaint, and as meeting Alice Trevisard on the way back. Whether the accused persons were ever brought to trial we do not know, but it is clear that Ridgeway had these documents prepared for eventual use at the assizes The periodic courts held in English counties for the trial of civil and criminal cases..

The whole essential body of the witchcraft doctrine occurs, in a highly condensed form, in the examination of Alice Butler, of Hardness. This is in two parts, and may be quoted in full. The duplicate shows a number of variant readings, some of which I have inserted in brackets. I have modernized the spelling and regulated punctuation and capitals, as I have done elsewhere.

Devon: The examination of Alice Butler of Hardness, in the County aforesaid, widow, taken before Sir Thomas Ridgeway, Knight, the second of October, 1601.

1. This witness states that she, sitting at a door or bench in Hardness aforesaid about Christmas Original: "Christide" a year ago with one Michael Trevysard of Hardness aforesaid, used these words: "I would my child were able to run as well as any of these children that run here in the street!" Then said Trevysard, "It shall never run!" "No? That's hard!" says this witness again. "No, it shall never run," answered Trevysard, "till you have another," repeating the same words at least a dozen separate times with great intensity. Whereupon this witness, being much troubled in mind, especially fearing him due to the general bad reputation he already had, departed from him. And the very same week the same child sickened, and wasted away—being well one day and ill another—for the space of seventeen weeks or thereabouts, and then died.

2. This witness further states that Peter Trevysard, son of the said Michael Trevisard, came to this witness's house to borrow a hatchet, which Alice Beere, servant to this witness, denied, to whom the said Michael answered [or "and he answered"], "Shall I not have it? I will do you a good turn before the year is out." And shortly the said Alice Beere sickened, continuing one day well and another day ill, for the space of eleven weeks, and then died. In which case both the husband of this witness and another child of theirs fell sick, and so continued seventeen or eighteen weeks, and then died.

The regular fashion of commenting on such utterances as these is to cry out against the malicious folly of the accuser and to lament the hard lot of the accused. May I be per-