[Satan’s Invisible World Contents]
ABOUT the month of March last year, one Beatrix Laing, a woman of very bad fame, who had formerly been under process for using charms, and refusing to be reconciled to her neighbours, was debarred from the Lord’s table, came to one Patrick Morton, a blacksmith, desiring him to make some nails, which he refused to do, because otherwise employed at that time. Upon which she went off muttering some threatening expressions. A little after, the said Patrick Morton, with another person in company, carrying some fish by the said Beatrix Laing’s door, they saw a vessel with water placed at the door, with a burning coal in it. Upon which he was presently strucken with an impression that it was a charm designed against him, and upon this a little after he sickened. In this sickness he languished for a long time; physicians that saw him, could not understand his distemper, yet tried various medicines, till at length his trouble increased, and he began to be seized with some unusual fits, which made them give over. He forbore all this while any accusation of the person whom he all along suspected for his trouble, at least he made no mention of it to the minister, who frequently visited him while under it. But his trouble still increasing, he at length began to drop some apprehensions of the cause of it. Upon which Beatrix Laing was called, and by the Magistrates, in the said Patrick Morton’s father’s house, examined in presence of a great multitude of people, and owned, that she had placed that vessel with water, and the coal in it, there; but at that time would give no account of the reason of it. Being dismissed by the Magistrates, she went home, and that same night, when she was challenged by Katharine Marshal, in her own house, before Nicolas Lawson, about the lad’s trouble, she answered, that he might blame his own ill tongue for what had befallen him, and that it was an evil spirit that was troubling him; which was in her face maintained by the said persons next day, in presence of the Magistrates. Then the boy began to complain of her tormenting him, and fell into grievous fits of trouble upon her entering the house. Upon all which she being imprisoned, after some time did acknowledge to Magistrates and Minister, in presence of many witnesses, without threat or torture, (of which we shall speak more afterwards) that she was displeased with Patrick Morton for his refusing to make some nails; that she designed to be avenged upon him for it; and that she used that charm of the coal in the water against him; and that she renounced her baptism, entered into a compact with the devil some twelve years before; condescending upon time, place, and her inducements to engage in his service; and that she, with Nicholas Lawson had made a wax picture to torment him, and put pins in it; which the said Nicholas likewise confessed afterwards, and so justified the boy’s account of the rise of his trouble.
After this the boy’s trouble daily increased, in which there were many strange things; first his belly, for some time, then his breast, frequently heaved up to a prodigious height, and instantly went off again, by a blowing at the mouth like a bellows; frequently he cried out that such persons as he named were pinching him in his arms, breast, or some other places of his body, his hands lying all the while above the clothes, at a distance from one another, in the view of many of the spectators; and when they looked the places of which he complained, they saw distinctly the print of nails. Again, he was frequently cast into swooning fits, became insensible, which was tried by exquisite pinching the more sensible parts of his body, of which he complained afterwards when he came out the fits, though he took no notice of them, nor felt them, in the time while he was in these fits. The strongest who essayed to lift his head from the pillow, were not able to move it, though both his feet and head were perfectly free of the bed, which was exactly tried: Yea, sometimes while the trunk of his body and his head were thus rigid and could not be raised from the pillow, his legs were loose, and any might move them as they pleased. Sometimes these fits were not so great as at other times, and then, or when he was falling in, or coming out of them, several persons lifted him with little difficulty; but when he was in the depth of the fit, the strongest that essayed it could not raise him up. Again, when any of the women whom he accused touched him, and sometimes on their coming into the room he fell into grievous fits of trouble, and cried out, that such a person was tormenting him, condescending on their names; and this he did very frequently, before multitudes of people of different ranks, ready to attest the same. And commonly such care was taken to prevent his having any notice, either of the womens’ entry, or which of them was there, that there was no place left for any rational suspicion of trick or cheat in the matter. He was carefully hoodwinked with several plies of cloth – the women were brought in with the utmost secrecy – innocent persons present in the room laid their hands on him, but yet he never shewed the least concern, save when the accused persons touched him. Several times gentlemen that seemed jealous that there was somewhat of an imposture in the case, were allowed and invited to make the nicest trial, and found it hold. Several pitiful cavils have been used about this, and other instances of the boy’s trouble, which proceed either from ignorance of the circumstances of matter of fact, or gross inadvertency in not observing the several variations of the boy’s case; which, had they been considered, they would have been so far from giving any countenance to the conclusion aimed at by these objectors, that they would strongly have enforced a conviction of something preter-natural in the case.
The author then proceeds to give an account of Janet Corphat, the woman who was murdered. She was a person of very bad fame, who of a long time was reputed a witch, frequently used charms, and was wont commonly to threaten persons who disobliged her, and such consequences sometimes followed, as made her the terror of many, both of the town and country, which might be verified by particular instances, if it were necessary. She was not at first delated by Patrick Morton, though afterwards he complained of her as one of his tormentors; but she, with several others, being in company with the devil, whereof Isabel Adam was one, in pursuance of a quarrel which Beatrix Laing, formerly mentioned, had with one Alexander M‘Grigor, a fisher in the town, made an attempt to murder the said M‘Grigor in bed; which was prevented by his awakening and wrestling against them. This attempt was acknowledged by Isabel Adam, of whose confession a more full account shall be given afterwards, who had been taken up on that man’s delation, and some other informations against her, and not on the lad’s. As likewise, the said Janet was accused by Nicolas Lawson, another person present at that attempt; and Nicolas accused her of being at another meeting in the Loan of Pittenweem; at both which meetings they confessed the devil was present. – All which she herself afterwards freely confessed.
The manner of this woman’s confession was very remarkable. – After she had obstinately some while denied, and with a subtilty beyond what might be expected from one of her education, shifted all questions put to her, she, with Isobel Adam aforesaid, being brought to the house where the tormented lad lay, and he discovering her at her entry into the room, notwithstanding the utmost precaution was used to conceal it from him, and he falling into grievous fits of trouble, did cry out of her as one of his tormentors; at which she was so stunned, that instantly she fell a trembling. The magistrates and minister observing her in such a confusion, asked if she was willing to commune with them, in reference to the matters whereof she had been accused; she declaring herself willing, went with them to another place, and when desired to be ingenuous, she again fell a trembling, and said she would confess all, but was afraid the devil would tear the soul out of her body if she did, and said, if you will pray, and cause all good folk pray for me, I will confess, and she then desired the minister to pray; and, after prayer, confessed she was bodily present at both the meetings aforesaid with the devil and the witches, and gave a circumstantial account of the renounciation of her baptism, naming time, place, and inducements which led her to it, and the shape the devil appeared to her in. – She likewise told the reason of their attempt to murder M‘Grigor was, that he did not hire a house which belonged to Beatrix Laing.
Again, on a Thursday, after she had been hearing sermon, she desired to speak with the minister, and sent one to acquaint him with this desire; on which he went to her, and she, before several witnesses, renewed her former confession, and condescended on all the persons the other confessing witches had accused, as being present at the two foresaid meetings; adding withal, that there were others present whom she knew not. This confession she renewed before the presbytery, in presence of a great many country gentlemen, and other spectators; as likewise in the face of a numerous congregation on the Lord’s day.
It is owned, that when Beatrix Laing and Nicolas Lawson were first imprisoned, they were ill used by some of the guard without the knowledge of magistrates or minister of which the women made complaint to the minister, whereof he presently acquainted the magistrates, who, with the minister, went to the prison, and threatened the guard if they offered the least disturbance to persons in custody. And the minister, on the Lord’s day thereafter, took occasion in sermon to discover the wickedness of that practice, as being against the light of nature, Scripture, and the just laws of the land. After this, we heard of no more disturbances they met with. Now, it was not till after this precaution used to prevent their trouble, that Janet Corphat was imprisoned; and, from the time of her imprisonment, till the time that she confessed, which was some ten or twelve days, she was not in company with the rest, nor with the guard, save one or two days, but was alone in a separate prison, and nothing to disturb her.
Now, it is remarkable, that neither of these persons who were ill used, of which Janet Corphat was none, did ever make any acknowledgement to these persons who used them ill, nor till some days after they were quite freed of this trouble. And when they did confess, it was to magistrates and minister, whom they owned to be careful to preserve them from such abuses; nor did magistrate or minister ever use any threatening to extort a confession, or any other argument, but what the gospel requires to be made use of to bring impenitent sinners to a confession of their sins.1
The author of the letter tells us, ‘she was put in a low prison, out of which it was obvious that any body could make an escape, and accordingly she made her escape that night.’ Here are but two assertions, and both of them false, for the prison was the second story, and her escape was by breaking an old iron grate in the window; nor was it that night after that she broke the prison, for it was on Friday these gentlemen discoursed her, and on the Lord’s day at night she broke the prison.2
Here follows the author of the ‘Just Reproofs’ way of telling the story of the barbarous and cruel murder of Janet Corphat. She came to town under cloud of night with two men, and went straight to an inn where her daughter was serving. After some stay there, the two men brought her to the minister’s house, who was visiting a sick child of one James Cook, a present bailie, where his servant came to him with Mr. Gordon’s letter; and, as soon as he had perused it he bid his servant go tell them, he would have nothing to do with her, but since they had brought her to the town, let them take her to the magistrates; which answer, two men then present, have attested under their hands. On this, the men brought her to Bailie Cook’s house, where the minister was, and the men meeting him coming down stairs, pressed him to take her off their hands, which he refused to do, but called the two next magistrates, and advised them instantly to set her off safe out of the town. On which the two bailies sent for their officer immediately, and the minister went off straight to his own house, and saw no appearance of a rabble, nor did hear of it, till the rabble had gone a considerable length ; and after a little, he heard that the woman was got safe out of their hands, and the rabble dissipate, and he knew nothing of her death till the next morning.
When the officer came to the magistrates, they, on deliberation among themselves, resolved to imprison her till the next morning; and accordingly ordered their officer to do it. And as the officer was executing the magistrates’ orders, the rabble gathered upon them, attacked the officer, and took the woman from him, with which, is it said, he did not acquaint the magistrates, that they might have taken other measures for the woman’s safety.
This rabble did not flow from the inclinations of the people of the place, which is evident from the peaceful and safe residence two confessing witches had for two months time in the place since they were set at liberty, but from an unhappy occasional concourse of a great many strangers, some Englishmen, some from Orkney, and other parts, who were forward in it, and have since taken guilt on them by their flight.
As to the assertion with regard to those of Mr. Cowper’s family going along with the rabble, Mr. Cowper urged to have his servants examined among the first, and they have declared before the magistrates, that they stole out in a clandestine way, that their master might not know of it, and he indeed knew nothing of it, and they returned very quickly and made no stay; nor do any of the witnesses examined insinuate any accusation of their having the least accession to any injury she met with, nor were they any other way concerned, than by looking on a short while with some hundreds of other spectators.
Again, it is said, ‘that they first found her at Nicolas Lawson’s house, and that she was killed out-right when they dragged her there again,’ is as ill grounded as the rest of our author’s assertions; for they found her not at Nicolas Lawson’s house, and some of the persons examined have declared, that after she was brought to that door, she arose and put on head cloaths, and called to Nicolas Lawson to let her in; which, if she had done, she in all appearance had met with no more disturbance; but after this, we hear that some few of the rabble stole up secretly and murdered her.
The author of the Second Letter accuses the minister of encouraging Patrick Morton in carrying on the cheat, by reading to him the case of Bargarran’s daughter. In answer to which, we shall give a short, but candid, account of matter of fact. In the month of May last, the minister, with a preacher, and a great many other people, attending all night in the room where Patrick Morton lay, and he lying meanwhile in a swooning fit, which was then tried by exquisite pinching, the minister and probationer falling into some discourse about Bargarran’s daughter, took out the book, and for their own satisfaction, read only two sentences, and stopt. Several weeks after, when the minister was again attending in the night time, the lad being insensible, the minister, for his own diversion, read the preface, and some part of the process, against the witches, but had no reason to think he heard any thing, but on the contrary. And it is to be observed, when the committee of the privy council did accurately examine the boy in reference to this story, he still declared he never heard anything of Bargarran’s daughter’s case read.
What he says of ‘their obliging them to pay eight pound Scots to the town-officer,’ is in many ways false. It is false that they were ordered by the magistrates to pay such a sum. It is false that they paid all alike. It is also untruth that any of them gave what they had provided for their winding sheets. Nicolas Lawson, one of the confessing witches, her husband voluntarily gave a small piece of unbleached linen to the officer for his fees; and this is all the ground for the story of their winding sheets.
The Author of the Just Reproof then proceeds to give an account of Mrs White and Isobel Adam. The woman brought from Anstruther was a Mrs White, an inhabitant of Pittenween, who, through fear of being apprehended, fled thither to her daughter’s house. This woman, whose cause is now warmly espoused by some, with no advantage to their reputation, and who is now insisting against the magistrates in a process for wrongous imprisonment, has been for many years a person of very bad fame. Some eighteen years ago, she pursued a woman before the session, in Mr Bruce the late Episcopal incumbents time, for caling her a witch, and succumbing in the probation. Mr. Bruce urged her to be reconciled with the woman, – she obstinately refused, – using most Unchristian and revengeful expressions, which are to be seen in the session-register. Since the revolution, she desired admission to the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, which was then denied her, because she still refused to be reconciled to that woman. Her scandalous carriage in refusing to cohabit with her husband to this day, who is a sober honest man, is generally known. This woman being accused by the boy as one of his tormentors, and delated by two confessing witches, and other presumptions of her guilt, the magistrates one morning sent their officer to the magistrates of Anstruther, desiring them on these grounds to send Mrs. White to them, and the grounds of her imprisonment were sent in write to her, in her daughter Mrs. Lindsay’s house; and she being brought to Pittenweem, the two women which delated her, were confronted with her, in presence of the magistrates, a great many gentlemen and ministers, where they did accuse her to her face, and charged her particular with being at a meeting in the Loan with the devil and the witches, and gave some binding tokens to convince her. By all which it appears, how little ground there is to accuse the magistrates for invading their neighbours jurisdiction, or load the minister with any concernment in the matter.
As to the other instance of one brought to Pittenweem at six miles distance, this was the young woman Isobel Adam. About the middle of May, one Alexander M‘Grigor delated her for an attempt to murder him in his own house in the night-time, with several others whom he knew not; and there being some surmises of other presumptions of witchcraft against her, the minister hearing she was occasionally in the town, called for her, and advised her, before her father, if innocent, to take proper measures for her own vindication, which she undertook to do, and promised to return for that end on advertisement, which her father engaged to give. The noise about her still increasing, her father was desired, according to promise, to call her to the place, which he declined, growing jealous of her guilt; on which the minister advertised her, but in case she refused, a letter was sent to be delivered to the gentleman on whose ground she lived, desiring him to send her. So soon as the advertisement was given, she came voluntarily to her father’s house in Pittenweem, and so there was no occasion for force.
When she came, she confessed her converse with the devil at Thomas Adamson’s house, on the first day of January 1704; she was confronted with M‘Grigor, and he accused her of the above mentioned attempt on him, which she then refused; on which she was imprisoned, and the two following days, she did with tears, and more than ordinary concern, make a free and large confession.
She said Beatrix Laing aforesaid, a confessing witch, had been dealing with her to engage in her service, which she refused; and that some time thereafter, this Beatrix came for her, and desired her to go along to her house; when she came there, they sat down at the fire, and she saw a man in black cloaths, with a hat on his head, sitting at the table; and Beatrix said to her, since you will not engage with me, here is a gentleman that will fee you; whereupon he told her, he knew she was discontented with her lot, and if she would serve him, he promised she should want for nothing; to which she yielded to serve him, and he came forward and kissed her; and she said, he was fearsome like, and his eyes sparkled like candles, on which she knew he was the devil.
Again, she told, that being employed to spin in Thomas Adamson’s house in Pittenweem, while she was lying awake in her bed in the night time, the devil appearing to her, where she did expressly renounce her baptism to the devil, by putting her hand on her head, and the other to her feet, the other maid lying in the bed with her being at the time asleep, as the maid declared before the session. About a fortnight after this, Beatrix Laing came to visit her, and asked her, if she had met with the gentleman? She answered she had, and also engaged with him, on which Beatrix said, I have then got my work wrought, and went away. And she confessed, she came to that meeting at M‘Grigor’s with the devil and several witches, viz. Beatrix Laing, Nicolas Lawson, Janet Corphat, Thomas Brown, and several others she knew not, designing to murder M‘Grigor; but since the man awakened and prayed to God for himself, they could not do it. She confessed also converse with the devil at other times. All which is in her two confessions, signed by the magistrates, and transmitted to Edinburgh. Now, we desire to know what the author of this letter can quarrel in the magistrates or minister’s conduct in this matter.
As for what he says ‘about the magistrates and minister refounded the imprisoned womens’ money seven-fold.’ We find this author very charitable on other mens’ purses, but when the magistrates and minister design to bestow their charity, they will choose more deserving objects. And the Lords of Her Majesty’s Privy Council understands themselves better than to take their measures as to what is just from the daring prescriptions of this author.
What he says about Thomas Brown is also false, he was accused by the lad, and delated by three confessing witches, as being accessory to the attempt on M‘Grigor. It is false he was starved, for his daughter brought him his diets punctually. Our author’s fears of more murders are altogether groundless, and we appeal to all men of candour, whether this author’s impudent and unjust accusation against magistrates and ministers of murdering Thomas Brown, deserves not severer punishment than any thing he can charge them with.
He again tells us, ‘the bailies justified the murder, by denying Christian burial.’ The Bailies gave no order thereabout. As for Thomas Brown, his son-in-law, with some others, buried him. Our author by his next may prove, that Janet Corphat. a woman that had so frequently and so solemnly confessed the renounciation of her baptism to the devil, deserved Christian burial.
We have thus given this author’s story in his own words, with such of his remarks as bear upon the Narrative of the other Pamphlet, observing that The CLERGY were generally in the first rank of WITCH-HUNTERS, and through their influence the most of the victims were put to death. In places where the Minister was inflamed with a holy zeal against the Devil and his emissaries, (such as Pittenweem and Torryburn),3 the parish became a perfect hot-bed for the rearing of witches; and so plentiful a crop did it produce, that it appeared nothing else could thrive. But in places where the Minister had some portion of humanity, and a little common sense, the Devil very rarely set foot on his territories, and Witchcraft was not to be found.
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1 We should like to know what threatenings the gospel requires ministers to make use of to such impenitent sinners as will not confess sins they could not commit ?
2 This just reprover begins vere fairly by wilfully perverting his opponent’s language, ‘a prison with a low window,’ he makes ‘a low prison.’ We very much suspect the minister himself had a hand in this pamphlet.
3 The particulars of the “Torryburn Case,” as recorded in the “Minute Books of the Kirk Session, 1704-9,” have been printed in “A Collection of rare and curious Tracts on Witchcraft, etc.,” published by David Webster, Edinburgh, 1820.
