Monday, September 24, 2007

from John Phillip's: The Examination and confession of certaine wytches at Chensforde in the countie of Essex, 1566






















From the pamphlet's section about the devil kitty:

“When this mother Eve had geuen her the Cat Sathan, then this Elizabeth desired firste of the sayde Cat (callinge it Sathan) that she might be ryche and to have goodes, and he promised her she shoulde, askinge her what she would have, and she sayde sheepe (or this Cat spake to her as she confessed in a straunge holowe voice, (but suche as she understode by use) & this Cat forthwith brought sheepe into her pasture to the number of xviii blacke and white…
When she had gotten these shepe, she desired to haue on Andrew Byles to her husband, which was a man of some welth, and the cat dyd promyse she shold but [...] he would not mary her, wherfore she willed Sathan to waste his goodes, which he forthwith did, and yet not beyng contentid with this, she wild him to touch his body, whych he forthewith did whereof he died.
Euery tyme that he did any thynge for her, she sayde that he required a drop of bloude, which she gaue him by prycking herselfe, sometime in one place & then in an other, and where she pricked her selfe there remayned a red spot, which was styl to be sene.
When this Andrew was dead, she douting her selfe with childe willed sathan to destroye it, and he bad her take a certayne herbe and drinke it whych she did, and destroyed the childe forthwyth.”

1 comment:

Doug said...

You know, when I get to that point in my life when I decide to bargain with my Satanic cat for my immortal soul, I think I'm gonna hold out for more than 18 sheep and an abortion. Andrew Byles would have died anyway, so I'm not even counting that.