At Paisley, Annabil Stuart was fourteen when, at her mother's
persuasion, she took the vows of fidelity to the Devil.[232]

Elizabeth Frances at Chelmsford (tried in 1556) was about twelve years old
when her grandmother first taught her the art of witchcraft.[233] Elizabeth
Demdike, the famous Lancashire witch, 'brought vp her owne Children,
instructed her Graund-children, and tooke great care and paines to bring
them to be Witches'.[234] One of her granddaughters, Jennet Device, was
aged nine at the time of the trial.

In Sweden the children were taken regularly to the assemblies,[235] and in
America[236] also a child-witch is recorded in the person of Sarah Carrier,
aged eight, who had made her vows two years before at her mother's
instigation.

The ceremony for the admission of adults who were converts to the witch
religion from Christianity follow certain main lines. These are (1) the
free consent of the candidate, (2) the explicit denial and rejection of a
previous religion, (3) the absolute and entire dedication of body and soul
to the service and commands of the new Master and God.

The ceremonies being more startling and dramatic for adults than for
children, they are recorded in Great Britain with the same careful detail
as in France, and it is possible to trace the local variations; although in
England, as is usual, the ceremonies had lost their significance to a far
greater extent than in Scotland, and are described more shortly, probably
because they were more curtailed.

The legal aspect of the admission ceremonies is well expressed by Sir
George Mackenzie, writing in 1699 on the Scotch laws relating to witchcraft
in the seventeenth century:

'As to the relevancy of this Crime, the first Article useth to be
_paction_ to serve the Devil, which is certainly relevant, _per se_,
without any addition.... Paction with the Devil is divided by Lawyers,
in _expressum_, _& tacitum_, an express and tacit Paction. Express
Paction is performed either by a formal Promise given to the Devil
then present, or by presenting a Supplication to him, or by giving the
promise to a Proxie or Commissioner impowered by the Devil for that
effect, which is used by some who dare not see himself. The _Formula_
set down by _Delrio_, is, _I deny God Creator of Heaven and Earth, and
I adhere to thee, and believe in thee_. But by the Journal Books it
appears, that the ordinary Form