[Satan’s Invisible World Contents]
IN the beginning of the year 1649, a common report passing up and down in all Mens and Womens mouths, of an eminent Warlock whose name was Robert Grieve, alias Hob Grieve, traffecking in these parts of the Country, and deceiving many simple People, he was at last discovered, apprehended, and imprisoned, at the Town of Lauder, and after long shiftings, and denyal, wherein he had learned of his Hellish-master, to be most subtile; by the great Goodness of GOD, he was at length brought to a serious acknowledgement of his Guilt, and Confession of his being the Devils Officer in that Country for warning all Satans Vassals to come to the Meetings, where, and whensoever the Devil required, for the space of eighteen years and more. He acknowledged also, that his Wife (who twenty years, or thereabout before, was burnt at Lauder) was the occasion of his coming into that snare: for they being poor, and having little or nothing to live upon, he began to grudge under that Condition, and to complain of his Lot; which his wife perceiving, desired him not to be troubled, but shewed him, that if he would follow her counsel, she should acquaint him with a Gentleman, who would teach him a way how to become rich. To which motion he hearkned, and at her desire went down with her to a haugh on Gallow-water, near to the Stow, where she trysted the Gentleman: and when they had come to that place, and tarried a considerable space, seeing no body, he began to wearie, and tell her, that he would be gone; but she pressing him to stay, and assuring him, that the Gentleman would not fail her: At length there came a great Mastiff bigger than any Butchers Dog, and very black running upon him, which put him into such a Confusion, and Astonishment of Spirit, as that he knew not where he was: But his wife laboured to comfort him, under that consternation, assuring him, that the Gentleman would come presently and perform what he had promised to him.
And accordingly in a short space the Devil apeared in the shape of a Black-man, and fitting his discourse to the mans tentation, made many promises to him, that if he would become his servant, he would teach him wayes, how to be rich, and how to be much made of in all the Countrey. Unto which demand of the Devil, he acknowledged, that he consented to, not so much for any hopes of future riches, as for fear least he should instantly be devoured by him, (for he suspected in the very mean time, that it was the Devil,) and then he gave him that charge, to be his Officer to warn all to the meetings; (as was said before,) in which charge he continued for the space of eighteen years and more, untill he was apprehended. He was most ingenuous in his Confession, an great Evidence whereof was this, That there was neither Man nor Woman delated by him, But were all Confessors, when apprehended; and confronted with him, and dyed confessing. One instance is remarkable, and worthy of observation, which is this. After he had delated many, and as many of those were apprehended, as the Prison could conveniently contain and the Keepers attend, he gave up another Woman in the town of Lauder, whose name the Magistrates resolved to conceal for a time, till the Prison should be emptied of some of those, who were already apprehended, and had confessed; and accordingly Secrecy was engaged unto. But the Devil, came that same night unto her, and told her, that Hob Grieve had fyled her for a Witch, but assured her, that if she would rise up and go and challenge him for it, and never come away, till he and she were confronted, that then he would deny it. Whereupon she arose and came to the Prison Window, and railled upon Hob Grieve, calling him Warlock and slave to the Devil, and all evils which her mouth could utter: and when desired to go home by the Centries, and also by the Magistrate, she sat down upon the Tolbuith-Stair, and said she should never go to her house, till she and that slave to the Devil were confronted, Whereupon the Baillie came to the Preacher desiring him to come and speak to her, to desire her to go home to her house, for there were none accusing her, who accordingly came, and entreated her to go home: but she obstinately refusing to go, till she should be confronted with that Rascal, who had delated her an honest Woman, for a Witch. The Baillie was constrained to her desire. Whereupon many being present as witnesses, she was conveyed up to the Prison to the Room where Hob Grieve was. And so soon, as she came in his sight, she fell down upon her bare knees, and began to scold the man, and to accuse him of a lie, in speaking of her name. Says she, thou common Thief, how dar thou for thy soul say, that ever before this time, thou saw me or I saw thee, or ever was in thy company, either alone, or with others. All which language he heard very patiently till he was desired by the Baillie to speak. Whereupon he asked her, how she came to know, that he had delated her for a Witch. For says he, surely none but the Devil, thy old Master, and mine has told thee so much. She replyed, The Devil and thou perish together, for he is not my Master, though he be thine. I defy the Devil, and all his works. Whereupon he sayes to her, What needs all this din, Does thou not know, that these many years, I have come to thy house, and warned thee to Meetings, and thou and I have gone alongs together. And thereafter he condescended to her upon several places, and Actions done in these places by her, and others, to all which I am (said he) a witness. By this she was so confounded, that immediately in presence of the Bailly, the Preacher, the School-Master, and many witnesses, she cryed out, Oh now, sayes she, I perceive that the Devil is a lyar, and a murderer from the beginning: for this night he came to me, and bade me come and abuse thee, and never come away, till I was confronted with thee, and he assured me that thou would deny all, and say, thou false tongue thou lyed. And having said this, she with many tears confessed, that it was all truth which he had said, and prayed the Minister, that he would entreat GOD for her poor Soul, that she might be delivered out of the hands of the Devil. Under this confession she continued even unto the day of her death.
Another evidence of ingenuity in him was this, that after five or six men and women, whom he had delated, were also convinced, and had confessed their Witch-craft, he earnestly desired that he and they might be taken to the Church, on the Lords-day, to hear the Word of GOD; which being granted, and they conveyed with a Guard to the Church, all of them sat down together before the Pulpit. The Preacher lectured on these words, Mark 9. 22. And oft times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the water to destroy him, &c. The Father of the Lunatick-child complained to Christ of the Devils cruelty towards his son. And the Preacher briefly noted, that Observation from the words, That what ever the Devil did to such as he had gotten any power over, his aim and end was always to destroy the poor Creature both Soul and Body. This truth being seriously applyed, and spoken home by the Preacher to the said Hob Grieve, and the rest of the confessing Witches, and Warlocks, they were all immediately so confounded, that all of them cryed out with a dreadful and lamentable noise, Alace! that is a most sure truth; Oh, what will become of us poor Wretches? Oh, pray for us. But Hob Grieve especially bare witness to that sad truth, by a general Declaration, in the face of the Congregation, that he had Experience of the truth thereof. For, said he, there is no trusting to his promises: for in Musselburgh water, when I had a heavy Criel upon my back, he thought to have drowned me there; and since I came into prison, he did cast me into the fire, to destroy me, as is well known to the present Preacher, and Magistrates of the place, and many others; And concluded with an Exhortation to all, to beware of the Devil; For whatever he says or doth, his purpose is to destroy you, and that you will find to be the end of his work, as we know to our dolefull experience this day. Another evidence of the Devils art in studying the destruction of the poor Creature, was manifest in that same place, and year 1649. A certain woman in the town of Lauder was fyled (not by Hob Grieve, but by some other) and for a long time denyed. The Magistrates of the place for this cause, were loath to meddle with her, but adjudged to death all the rest, who had confessed; and ordained them to be burnt upon the Munday after: She hearing of this, and that she alone was to remain in prison, without hopes of escape, was prompted by the Devil to make up a confession in her own bosom, as she supposed might take away her life, and thereupon sent for the Minister, and made that confession of Witch-craft which she her self had patcht up before Witnesses; and in the close she earnestly intreated the Magistrates, and the Ministers, that she might be burnt with the rest upon Munday next. Her confession was, That she had covenanted with the Devil, and had become his servant, about twenty years before, when she was but a young Lass, and that he kissed her, and gave her a name, but since, he had never owned her, and that she knew no more of the works of the Devil, as she should answer to GOD, but what she said was true. But intelligent Persons began to be jealous of the truth of that confession, and began to suspect, that out of the pride of her heart, in a desperate way, she had made up that confession to destroy her life, because she still pressed to be cut off with the rest upon Munday. Therefore much pains was taken on her by Ministers, and others, on Saturday, Sunday, and Munday morning, that she might resile from that confession, which was suspected to be but a Tentation of the Devil, to destroy both her soul and body, yea it was charged home upon her by the Ministers, that there was just ground of Jealousie, that her confession was not sincere, and she charged before the Lord to declare the truth, and not to take her blood upon her own head. Yet stifly she adhered to what she had said and cryed always to be put away with the rest. Whereupon on Munday morning being called before the Judges, and confessing before them, what she formerly said, she was found guilty, and condemned to die with the rest that same day. But being carried forth to the place of Execution, she remained silent, during the first, second and third Prayer, and then perceiving that there remained no more, but to rise, and go to the Stake, she lift up her body, and with a loud voice cryed out. Now all you that see me this day, know that I am now to die as a Witch by my own confession, and I free all men, especially the Ministers and Magistrates of the guilt of my blood. I take it wholly upon my self: my blood be upon my own head. And as I must make answer to the GOD of Heaven presently, I declare I am as free of Witch-craft, as any child: but being delated by a malicious Woman, and put in Prison, under that name of a Witch, disowned by my husband and friends, and seing no ground of hope of my coming out of Prison, nor ever coming in credit again, through the temptation of the Devil I made up that confession, on purpose to destroy my own life, being weary of it, and chosing rather to die than live, and so died. Which lamentable story, as it did then astonish all the Spectators, none of which could restrain themselves from tears, so it may be to all a demonstration of Satans subtility, whose design is still to destroy all, partly by tempting many to presumption, and some others to despair. These things to be of truth, are Attested by an Eye and Ear witness who is yet alive, a faithful Minister of the Gospel.
